Sanral to spend R85 million on e-toll advertising

Sanral is set to spend R85 million this year on advertising its controversial e-tolling plans in Gauteng, according to Transport Minister Dipuo Peters.

"The SA National Roads Agency Ltd has a budgeted amount of R85 million... which will be used for both the alternative sources of funding campaigns as well as corporate campaigns," she said in a written reply to a parliamentary question, tabled on Monday.

An amount of R23.3 million had been spent to date.

Peters was responding to a question – posed by Democratic Alliance MP Ian Ollis – on how much the roads agency "is planning to spend on advertising relating to the e-toll system in Gauteng".

The minister's reply shows the agency's spending on advertising rose sharply after 2009/10.

In that year, it spent R6.4 million on "print and broadcasting advertising alternative sources of funding campaign".

In 2010/11, 2011/12, and last year (2012/13), it spent totals of R30.4 million, R84.5 million and R87.1 million respectively on campaigns and advertising.

In a statement issued later on Monday, Ollis said Sanral's determination to continue with its e-tolling campaign was "a disgrace".

E-tolling would not benefit Gauteng residents, and would hit the poor hardest "by increasing the price of doing business, resulting in food price increases and inevitably undermining economic growth and job creation," he said.