Johannesburg - A proposed amendment to draft e-tolling legislation could delay the implementation of tolls across Gauteng freeways, it was reported on Friday.
The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) has approved a one-word amendment to the Transport Laws and Related Matters Amendment Bill, which could force the transport minister to consult parliament to set toll prices, the Mail and Guardian reported.
At the moment Transport Minister Ben Martins decides on toll fees and toll fee increases.
Member of NCOP Raseriti Tau said the bill that was passed by the National Assembly had stated that before the minister could make any regulations, he should submit a draft of the proposed regulations to parliament for "comment".
According to the report, on Tuesday NCOP replaced the word "comment" with "consideration".
"We felt that this provision was too weak and not in line with section 102 of the Constitution, which clearly empowers parliament to consider regulations and not just comment," Tau was quoted as saying.
The SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) indicated that e-tolling would commence in June this year, but the amendment meant the bill will return to pParliament for further consideration.
The report suggests that consultation process by both parties of parliament could delay Sanral's plans of implementing e-tolling next month.