“Those who qualify for this exemption are public transport operators in possession of valid permits and operating licences and whose vehicles are registered on the eNatis system,” spokeswoman Octavia Mamabolo said in a statement.

“Those exempted constitutes the vast majority of taxis operating in the province.”

Public transport operators bringing commuters from neighbouring provinces to Gauteng daily also qualified for exemptions and should contact the SA National Roads Agency Limited to register for exemptions.

“However, public transport operators from other provinces who transport passengers occasionally to Gauteng do not qualify for exemptions,” said Mamabolo.

The e-toll system came into effect on Tuesday. It compels motorists to pay to use certain highways around Gauteng.

On Monday, a last-minute attempt by the Freedom Front Plus to stop e-tolling failed. The party’s case was struck from the roll by the High Court in Pretoria for lack of urgency.

The Democratic Alliance said it intended taking its fight against e-tolling to the courts and would argue that the legislation providing for e-tolls was incorrectly tagged as national, rather than provincial.

Meanwhile, some taxi organizations in Gauteng raised the concern that they’re still waiting for local Government to issue them with permits.

“We’re not going to pay any e-tolls,” reiterated one old taxi owner from Mapetla, who refused to be identified.