If you've been relying on slamming your brakes only when you see a speed camera on Gauteng's highways, you might want to change that habit soon. The province's 43 e-toll gantries are being repurposed into average speed cameras that'll track your speed over entire stretches of road — not just at one point.

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy confirmed that the Gauteng Provincial Government is working with the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) to find new uses for the controversial e-toll infrastructure. One of the main ideas is installing average speed over distance (ASOD) technology on the existing gantries.

Here's how average speed cameras work: two cameras are placed a known distance apart. One records when your vehicle enters the section, the other when you leave. The system calculates your average speed over that whole distance. If it's above the limit, you get a fine. You can't cheat by slowing down for a few seconds — you have to stay within the limit for the entire monitored stretch.

This isn't completely new to South Africa. Average speed cameras are already running on sections of the N1 between Pretoria and Polokwane, parts of the N3 between Johannesburg and Durban, and on some roads in the Western Cape. But Gauteng's plan would scale it up dramatically.

The province has 43 e-toll gantries positioned along major routes like the N1, N3, N12 and R21. Those structures could form the backbone of a large-scale average speed monitoring system across some of the busiest highways in the country. If implemented, it'd cover many kilometres of road where drivers currently speed freely between fixed cameras.

Creecy also said the government is looking at using high-speed weigh-in-motion technology on the gantries. That'd let authorities monitor heavy vehicles and catch overloaded trucks without making them stop. The infrastructure could also support certain motor vehicle licensing services through satellite technology.

The e-toll system was introduced in 2013 to fund upgrades to Gauteng's freeways, but it faced massive public resistance. Many motorists refused to pay, and the system became politically toxic. In 2024, the government officially scrapped e-tolls, leaving the gantries without a purpose. This repurposing plan is the first concrete alternative to emerge since then.

For now, there's no timeline for when the average speed cameras will go live. But the message is clear: if you drive in Gauteng, keeping your speed steady might soon be the only way to avoid a fine.