The transferral since 2013 of 13 000 km of provincial roads to South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) for management and maintenance “is not a sustainable long-term strategy”.

This assertion was made by Transport Minister Barbara Creecy in her Budget Vote on Tuesday, when she warned that the move would ultimately impact Sanral’s ability to maintain the national road network without introducing widespread tolling.

“Next month we will host a joint MINMEC between Treasury and Transport to find a mechanism to frontload the Provincial Road Maintenance Grant so that provinces can upgrade more of their priority roads sooner,” she announced, while acknowledging “serious challenges” in the capacity of provincial and municipal authorities to conduct road maintenance.

Sanral would receive almost R31-billion in funding during the current financial year, which would be used for capital expenditure on the non-toll network, as well as Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project operations, ongoing construction on major bridges on the N2 Wild Coast route, new road sections on the national highways, and the development of the Moloto Road corridor.

The Budget for the Department of Transport for the 2026/27 financial year is R102-billion.