State-owned roads agency Sanral has announced it is ending support for magnetic stripe-based payments at all toll gates across South Africa.
Motorists will now only be able to use the more secure tap-to-pay and chip-and-Pin methods on the country’s national roads. (Cash is also accepted.)
“This solution … has been designed to accept tap-enabled EMV bank cards as well as wallets that are linked to these bank cards,” said Gert Botha, toll network manager at Sanral.
“These options are available for online processing, where the device can reach the bank to check funds to process the transaction. To use tap-and-go, users must therefore make sure their cards are tap enabled and have sufficient funds.”
The main difference between magstripe technology and its modern upgrade, the chip-based EMV, is that the data stored in a magnetic stripe is static, meaning it can be skimmed by any device with the ability to read it. EMV, on the other hand, has a “conversation” with the device each time it is used, creating a unique handshake for each use and asking for a user Pin as an additional layer of security.
Another advantage tap-to-pay has over magstripes is speed. Sanral said trials at card-only lanes at N3 Mariannhill, N17 Gosforth, N17 Dalpark and N1 Grasmere toll plazas led to higher throughput rates of up to 750 vehicles an hour, double what was possible before.
E-tags
Deprecating magnetic stripes at the banking sector level would eliminate the risk of unsafe card swipes, a move that the sector wants to implement but hasn’t yet. When TechCentral asked South Africa’s banks about magstripe technology last December, many identified merchant readiness as a hurdle. However, newer point-of-sale devices generally do not support magstripe.
“Magstripe fraud and the security risk of offline magstripe transactions has been growing steadily, impacting both banks and card holders financially,” said Daniel Kaan, CEO of the commercial & corporate transactions segment at FNB Commercial.
Read: Why SA banks still issue cards with magstripes
Following the closure of Gauteng’s e-tolls in April, Sanral repurposed the e-tags previously used to charge customers when they passed through the e-toll gantries for payment at national toll gates.
Users can top-up accounts linked to their e-tag and use dedicated “Shesha” lanes for fare at toll plazas. According to Botha, Shesha lanes have an even higher throughput than tap-to-pay lanes – about a thousand vehicles per hour compared to 750.
Sanral said tap-to-pay functionality has been rolled out to all its toll plazas across South Africa, but it recommended that users of its tap-and-go lanes upgrade to the even faster Shesha tag lanes to enjoy more convenience over the festive season. Road users are advised to carry some cash in case of any unforeseen technical difficulties.
Read: What Sanral says you can do with your e-tag
“At Sanral, we want again to emphasise that it is safe to get your tag and mobility account, as funds deposited are ring-fenced for future toll transactions and will not be used to recover historic debt incurred from the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project.” — © 2025 NewsCentral Media
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