Johannesburg - The cost of operating Gauteng's toll roads may be as high as R14bn - more than the R6.22bn the roads agency said it would cost, The Star newspaper reported on Friday.
This amount excludes the cost of feasibility studies, the design of the toll system and the supply of e-tags.
The cost of upgrading the roads is estimated at R17,5bn.
The inflated operational costs were contained in a confidential report which was sent anonymously to The Star. The report is dated April 2011 and it discusses, in detail, the operation progress report on Gauteng open road Tolling.
The SA National Roads Agency (Sanral) denied the tolls were costing so much and said the tender to build and operate the toll roads was R6.22bn over eight years.
However, Sanral in its report indicated that the R6.22bn did not include VAT and that there were additional costs - but would not reveal these specific amounts to the daily newspaper.