Pretoria – The long-running e-toll system saga has reached its conclusion, with Cabinet approving the closure of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project’s (GFIP) historical debt.
Cabinet’s approval announced in a statement made available to The Bulrushes on Sunday, 7 June 2026, confirms the following:
• Outstanding and unpaid historical GFIP e-toll debt owed by road users will be written off;
• SANRAL will not pursue any further collection of historical GFIP e-toll debt;
• Road users who lawfully paid e-tolls while the system was legally in force will not be refunded;
• The no-refund position arises from lawful levies at the time they were paid, that is, before the toll declarations were withdrawn;
• The write-off of outstanding debt gives effect to the government’s decision to close the GFIP e-toll scheme and provide finality to road users, SANRAL, and the fiscus.
In the statement, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy and Deputy Minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa welcomed the decision, describing it as a long-awaited step to resolve the matter in an orderly and responsible manner.
“Government reiterates that the close-out of GFIP e-toll debt is intended to provide certainty, resolve historical debt matters and support a sustainable approach to the funding, maintenance and improvement of South Africa’s national road network,” the statement said.
The conclusion of the saga means that all outstanding and unpaid GFIP e-toll debt owed by road users will be written off.
The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) will not pursue any further collection of historical debt.
However, motorists who lawfully paid e-tolls while the system was in force will not be refunded.
The government emphasized that the no-refund position arises from the fact that levies were lawful at the time they were paid, prior to the withdrawal of toll declarations in April 2024.
In the statement, Creecy and Hlengwa said the decision provides much-needed relief to road users already burdened by high fuel costs linked to global geopolitical developments.
They added that the closure of the debt chapter lessens financial pressure and offers certainty to motorists, SANRAL, and the fiscus.
