Will 2012 be the year that finally sees the hybrid vehicle becoming accepted by a wider market in South Africa? Car manufacturers are increasingly jumping onto the hybrid band-wagon as the concept becomes further entrenched in motorists’ imaginations and resistance to new ideas in the conservative South African market breaks down.

The Japanese giant Toyota was, of course, the first manufacturer to embrace the hybrid with the Prius, now in its fourth generation. The latest iteration of the Prius was recently revealed at Frankfurt motor show. The design revisions range from cosmetic - including a new bumper, new head and tail lights with LED emitters and new wheels – to high tech.

This includes a solar ventilation system which uses solar panels to power the aircon. Wow, how green can you get?  You also get a remote control for the aircon which allows you to get the car cooled down before you get into it, if it’s been sitting out in the sun for a while. Now that’s progress!

Toyota has said they are also looking at the possibility of importing the full electric Prius, despite the lack of infrastructure that supports plug-in vehicles.

On a far more intriguing note is the recent introduction of the Auris Hybrid to the Toyota line-up. What makes this worth getting excited about will be the far more reasonable sticker price than the still very exclusive Prius. The hatchback is available in two trim levels – XS at R267,200 and XR for R289,800.

Not only that, but Toyota are adding a hybrid version of their extremely popular Yaris hatchback in the second quarter of 2012 and there will quite likely be more hybrid models to follow.

A hybrid Fortuner anyone?

The e-tolling saga continues to twist and turn in many directions, much to the confusion of the beleaguered South African motorist. The latest twist is that SANRAL has now announced that e-tags are up for sale at R50 each from various retail outlets or from their website.

The problem is that Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele had announced on October 23rd that all e-toll plans were on hold pending further consultation, a decision that was welcomed by the AA, various unions and just about anybody who drives a car. So what to do?

Well, given that COSATU has threatened rolling mass action if the e-tolls go ahead it is probably best to wait for further developments. In addition a petition from a variety of groups - including COSATU, the SA National Civic Organisation, the SA National NGO Coalition, the SA Transport and Allied Workers Union, and the Democratic Alliance - will be delivered to Minister Ndebele calling for the end of the e-tolls.

We will do our best to keep you updated. No doubt the story is far from over so watch this space!

The Gauteng motorist is a hardy beast. Not only does he have a very high ‘pain index’ from contending with some of the worst driving conditions in the world (according to a recently published IBM sponsored survey of 8,000 people in 20 cities) but now he is expected to pay for the privilege, thanks to the new e-tolling system.

The reason given for this e-toll system is that the roads need to be upgraded and that the motorists who use the roads should pay for it. Initially, the SA National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) announced that the Gauteng highway improvement project would cost motorists 66c/km and heavy duty trucks R3.96/km.

The initial gazetted fees for vehicles with e-tags were 30c/km motorcycles, 49.5c/km for light vehicles, R1.49/km for medium vehicles, R2.97/km for heavy vehicles, 16.5c/km for taxis, and 50c/km for commuter busses.

However, following a massive public outcry, echoed by the likes of COSATU who are avidly opposed to the e-tolls, government yielded to public pressure and reduced the rates.

The kicker is you only really benefit for the reduced rate if you subscribe to the e-tag system. For those with e-tags the fees will be:  24c/km for motorcycles and 40c/km for light vehicles. Medium-duty vehicles with e-tags will pay R1/km. Class C vehicles with e-tags will be charged R2/km.

Additionally, there will be discounts depending on what time of day a person travels. This can range between five and 25 percent. Public transport operators with e-tags can get a 50 percent discount while frequent users can get discounts depending on usage. Mini-bus taxis and buses will not be obliged to pay the e-toll.

One bonus is that you won’t have to stop at a traditional toll booth. Instead, you drive through "booths" known as gantries, fitted with electronic equipment including cameras to photograph your vehicle’s number plate and measure its size. 

Each time a vehicle passes underneath a gantry, the toll will be deducted - either from the amount that has been loaded onto the e-tag or, if a user does not have an e-tag, the bill for the toll will be sent by post to the registered owner of the vehicle.  Gantries are between 5 kilometres and 14 kilometres apart - an average of 10 kilometres.


Much of the controversy surrounding the project has related to the cost of creating it - an estimated R20 billion. Although the system is expected to generate revenues of about R300 million a month, conservatively, most of this revenue will initially go towards operating the system and paying off loans that financed the project.

Despite government assurances that the e-toll system is a done deal, the saga is not over yet! The Democratic Alliance, in an effort to halt the project, has garnered 10,000 signatures on a petition and submitted it to the Gauteng Legislature. For more information on why the DA opposes the system, go here:

Pending the outcome of a court case where a Western Cape man is challenging the legality of the Dräger Breathalyser system, the NPA has provisionally withdrawn all drunk driving cases where evidence was obtained using the Dräger device. According to a recent SAPA report, a NPA spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga said: "The NPA is going to have all cases where the evidence was obtained using a Dräger provisionally withdrawn or postponed, pending the Western Cape High Court ruling.

"The ruling will set a precedent... we are confident that the NPA has a strong case in favour of the Dräger."

The case involving Clifford Joseph Hendricks, 27, who was arrested in January 2010 after being found to have a blood alcohol level of 0.95mg (the maximum allowed is 0.24), has attracted national interest. A Durban man was recently cleared of driving under the influence of alcohol after his lawyer challenged the law regarding the use of the breathalyser, the Sunday Times reported.

The Durban magistrate found hotel manager Aveer Inderjith, 22, not guilty after the State failed to "produce any evidence regarding the instruments used", according to court documents containing the ruling.

However, in a June 14 article in the Business Day, Western Cape Transport MEC Robin Carlisle is quoted as saying the province was confident of winning the case despite the NPA’s ruling and would continue to use the Dräger system until the case is resolved. "Whatever the NPA says or doesn’t say, we will still breathalyse people who we pick up on the road where there are indications that they may be drunk. We will continue to do that so that we have the evidence.

"When we win that case in the Cape High Court, the NPA will then bring all those cases back on to the court roll," Mr Carlisle said. "We welcome this case. Our country’s forensic labs are currently dysfunctional and sometimes it takes a year to get blood results. If the court finds in favour of the Dräger, then the time it takes to get someone convicted is going to be very quick," said Mr Carlisle.