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Sanral won’t stop etolls debt collections over ‘illegal’ SMSes claims

Sanral has remained bullish in its pursuit of unpaid etolls in spite of criticism from Outa over threatening SMSes sent to motorists about them.

The agency plans to forge ahead with the collection of etolls it says it’s owed despite what it calls “continued distortion of the true facts” – an obvious reference to claims by Outa over “illegal threatening” messages sent to motorists.

The latest tug-of-war between the opposing bodies involves claims made by Outa that Sanral has been sending SMSes to motorists, warning them of legal action should they not settle outstanding etolls.

Outa this week reassured motorists that Sanral cannot act on the threats, stating that they had acted outside the limits of the law and can therefore not claim any collections.

In a reply released today, Sanral said Outa’s actions are starting to wear thin (although it did not mention the alliance directly) and added that there will be consequences for non-payment.

“In line with the new dispensation a discount of 60% offered by the deputy president to those road users who settled their outstanding debt incurred prior to 1st September 2015 (historic debt),  the time left to ensure this discount is taken advantage of is fast running out,” the agency said.

“Those road users that have not responded will be subjected to ongoing collection activity, listing of their vehicles and civil action.  There should be no misunderstanding around these possible consequences,” it added.

In Outa’s outlined claims, it stated that alleged Sanral agents appointed to take calls from the number listed in the SMSes were in fact outsourced from a separate company and that the misrepresentation of who they are was illegal.

But according to Sanral, this will not have any effect on debt collections.

“Protests about the employment of experts to ensure maximum effort is expended in the collection of these delinquent debts carry no weight and as such road users need to assess the risk as the consequences of non-payment rests with them,” the agency said.

Motorists have again been warned that non-payment is an offence and that they must be prepared for vehicle listing, ongoing and substantial collection activity and legal action.

[Image – Stop Over]

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