Government misses e-toll decision deadline, remains mum on its future

A Civil society group and local opposition political party have vowed to continue fighting for the scrapping of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (e-tolls) despite the delay of yet another e-toll decision by the government.

Gauteng motorists are yet to see a decision on the future of the much-maligned e-tolls as the Department of Transport missed yet another deadline for end-March.

Minister Fikile Mbalula previously indicated that a decision to resolve the impasse over the e-tolls would be announced by the end of March.

The deadline came and passed without any decision announced.

Mbalula attributed this decision before the beginning of the financial year, which ensued this April.

Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) Wayne Duvenage said the broken promises on the deadline of e-tolls was eroding public trust in the government.

“It is ridiculous that they are making these promises for the last two years and nothing happens,” Duvenage said, adding that “this further reduces public trust in the state”.

Duvenage said the latest deadline missed came as no surprise as the government failed to meet several deadlines from 2019.

“This is just another example of how they further distance and alienate themselves from society.”

Duvenage said the delays in a decision by the government would make motorists calling for the e-toll system to be scrapped more resilient.

“Whether they make their decision or not we will continue to fight this. It has just given us more wind under our sails to tackle government on this.”

Duvenage said the government would have to continue funding the project which has been met with retaliation as many motorists refuse to pay.

“At some point, they have to make a decision. They cannot afford not to make a decision and they will have to make it soon. But either way, society has made that decision for them.”

DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Roads and Transport Frederik Nel said the lack of announcement was disappointing.

“He (Mbalula) is full of false promises and I don’t know if we can believe he is serious about the issue.”

Nel said while the matter also remained in cabinets’ hands it was unfortunate that the government missed several deadlines.

“It’s clear that cabinet has not made a decision on the matter but the minister cannot skin us along like this.”

Nel said the DA would be writing to Gauteng Premier, David Makhura, urging him to lodge an intergovernmental dispute with the National Department of Transport for the urgent scrapping of e-tolls.

“For the past 18 months, Mbalula has been continuously kicking this can down the road. It is clear that it is just another political ploy to further delay the matter,” he said.

“Given the recent announcements that all toll fees would soon increase, despite the desperate state of the economy and the subsequent damage to livelihoods during the strict Covid-19 lockdown, it is even more important to get rid of e-tolls as soon as possible.”

Nel said for too long the residents of Gauteng have been paying for something they were not consulted on and cannot afford.

“The people of Gauteng must no longer be burdened by this unworkable system.”

The implementation of e-tolls in December 2013, has been met with public retaliation with many motorists refusing to pay.

Political parties and civil organisations have also protested against the system, putting pressure on the government to scrap the unpopular means of collection.

The Department of Transport had not yet commented on the issue at the time of publishing.