The annual adjustment to toll tariffs came into effect on 1 March 2019. It is in accordance with the CPI over the proceeding twelve months, which has been calculated as 4,583%.

The adjusted tariffs apply on the N3 toll road between Johannesburg and Durban, on the N4 between the Mozambican border and the Botswana border as well as on the toll sections of the N1, N2, N17, N12, R30 and R21. They also apply to the GFIP toll roads. The CPI adjustment also affected the monthly caps applicable to the GFIP toll roads.

The adjustments are made on an annual basis to keep the toll tariffs aligned with inflation rates.

The effect of inflation means that every rand buys a smaller percentage of a good or service. As the average inflation rate is used to decide the adjustment, this means that there is no increase in real terms.

Toll monies are used cautiously, only to maintain and improve toll roads. Toll roads are built at no cost to the fiscus – the concept of toll roads is to apply a user charge only to those who benefit from the use of the road.

SANRAL uses tolling selectively. Only 2 952km of the 22 214km road network that SANRAL is responsible for constitute toll roads.

Toll roads are a prime example of a public-private partnership which makes capital available up front for important and expensive infrastructure projects. It also allows for continued maintenance not done at taxpayer’s expense. Roads that are not regularly maintained will require repairs. The cost of major reconstruction can be up to 18 times higher than it would have been if routine preventative maintenance was undertaken.