‘Long overdue’ e-toll decision date set for February 2022
“People no longer listen when the government speaks about the e-tolls, for many the final decision is irrelevant to them because it is a decision not made by the government but the public.”
The long-awaited decision on whether the Gauteng e-tolls will be scrapped has now been moved to February 2022.
This was according to a statement on Monday by transport minister Fikile Mbalula. The road-user pay system was implemented in December 2013. Since then, the scheme was met with public hostility with motorists refusing to pay.
This led to President Cyril Ramaphosa appointing a task team to resolve the impasse over e-tolls back in 2019. Mbalula said the final decision on the matter was a “priority” for the cabinet.
“The final determination is about how best to carry the cost burden of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project while maintaining these roads in pristine condition,” Mbalula said.
“We agreed with the Minister of Finance that the announcement of the final decision will be made during the budget speech in February.”
Earlier this year, Mbalula said he would announce the decision during his budget speech in March but that did not happen. Several other deadlines on this have been made since 2019.
Civil organisation, Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) CEO Wayne Duvenage said the organisation was not “surprised by yet another promise” on the final decision.
“This is not the first time that such a promise was made.
There has been indicated that the cabinet has decided to scrap the e-tolls, but we need to wait for the formal announcement if this will actually happen.
For now, we shall keep the champagne on ice,” he said. “The final decision on this is now long overdue.”
ALSO READ: Four die as fleeing suspect crash in the North
Political analysts initially anticipated that the decision would be made before the municipal elections on November 1, but this did not happen.
“There have been several elections that have come and gone and no decision was announced.
Our government is trapped in reversing a decision of what I call a bad policy,” Duvenage said.
With a new finance minister appointed, Enoch Godongwana, Duvenage said this change was no indication whether a conclusion was reached following clashes over the past two years between the Department of Transport and the national treasury over e-tolls.
“What government needs to take away from the e-tolls matter is that if they want to introduce policies that are grossly irrational, that do not seek the inputs from society from the beginning and are expensive, then the public will not participate.”
He said despite whatever decision government would take, the public has already made the decision not to pay e-tolls.
“Society does not take the government seriously. People no longer listen when the government speaks about the e-tolls; for many, the final decision is irrelevant to them because it is a decision not made by the government but the public.”
WATCH:
We have to make strides in increasing competitiveness and access to transport modal networks through effective regulation. We have conceptualised Priorities that include re-imagining safety as an enabler of service delivery. pic.twitter.com/zJpCb1m0r7
— ANC SECRETARY GENERAL | fikile Mbalula (@MbalulaFikile) February 17, 2021
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram.
