THE South African National Roads Agency is being bailed out by taxpayers, reports Bloomberg.
The agency maintains the national road network and has been crippled by motorists' refusal to pay freeway tolls in the economic hub of Gauteng.
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has allocated US$1.3 billion to the state agency to meet the emergency.
The Sanral funding will enable the agency to pay off its government-guaranteed debt and expects the company to resolve its standoff with the motoring public over toll collection.
Although Sanral has suspended its outstanding debt and Gauteng authorities want the tolls scrapped, the national government has yet to discuss the matter.
'Sanral cannot collect sufficient cash from its toll portfolio to settle maturing government-guaranteed debt,' said the Treasury.
The Treasury also allocated $320 million to state logistics company Transnet SOC Ltd, half of which will be used to repair infrastructure damaged by flooding in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province in April and to increase its locomotive capacity.
The Land Bank remains in financial distress, and the process of resolving that issue continues, the Treasury said.
'An amount of ZAR5 billion (US$2.7 million) remains in the contingency reserve in 2022-23 as part of the funding provided for the Land Bank in the previous budget,' said the Treasury.
'Conditions for the release of these funds have not yet been met.'
SeaNews Turkey
The agency maintains the national road network and has been crippled by motorists' refusal to pay freeway tolls in the economic hub of Gauteng.
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has allocated US$1.3 billion to the state agency to meet the emergency.
The Sanral funding will enable the agency to pay off its government-guaranteed debt and expects the company to resolve its standoff with the motoring public over toll collection.
Although Sanral has suspended its outstanding debt and Gauteng authorities want the tolls scrapped, the national government has yet to discuss the matter.
'Sanral cannot collect sufficient cash from its toll portfolio to settle maturing government-guaranteed debt,' said the Treasury.
The Treasury also allocated $320 million to state logistics company Transnet SOC Ltd, half of which will be used to repair infrastructure damaged by flooding in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province in April and to increase its locomotive capacity.
The Land Bank remains in financial distress, and the process of resolving that issue continues, the Treasury said.
'An amount of ZAR5 billion (US$2.7 million) remains in the contingency reserve in 2022-23 as part of the funding provided for the Land Bank in the previous budget,' said the Treasury.
'Conditions for the release of these funds have not yet been met.'
SeaNews Turkey