What these trailer owners do not know, however, is that through no fault of their own they were paying way too little over all the years for the privilege to pull their trailers on the country's roads - which, according to a top Provincial Administration official, are in desperate need of repair. Deputy director general of transport for the provincial administration, Roy Petersen, said on enquiry that the system of categories according to which licence fees were determined had to be revised. This has resulted in the consistent deterioration of the road structure over the past decade and a consequent huge backlog in road maintenance.
Light trailers used by homeowners when loaded have the same weight as a small sedan vehicle.
The new system is aimed at addressing these anomalies by adjusting licence fees fairly to make some impact on the backlog. All vehicle licences will be increased, albeit not as significantly as the trailer licences.