DA protest at premier’s office
JOBURG - Democratic Alliance Gauteng provincial leaders were impressed with the turnout to a picket outside the office of Gauteng Premier David Makhura in response to the ‘premier’s failure’ to call for a provincial referendum on e-tolls during his State of the Province Address (Sopa).
Gauteng provincial leader John Moodey, accompanied by members of legislature, Neil Campbell, Solly Msimanga and Khume Ramulifho called on Makhura to remember his promise to the people of this province, and to call for a provincial referendum on e-tolls.
Moodey said, “We are impressed by the turnout, we were not expecting this huge number of over 600 people – we were expecting about 300 people. This shows that the people of Gauteng want e-tolls to be scrapped. It’s a good thing to get this kind of public support…”
Moodey added that they had sent a strong and clear message to the premier that Gauteng residents want a total scrap of e-tolls. “We will continue to mobilise residents to voice their feelings against e-tolls and practice their democratic rights on the issue,” Moodey said.
He added that on 30 September last year, when asked about a review panel’s findings, and whether the premier would scrap e-tolls, the premier told the Gauteng Legislature, “If needs be, I am prepared to stick with the people of Gauteng.”
Moodey said, “It is obvious that the premier is stalling and that he has abandoned the people of Gauteng. He made this quite clear in his response to the Sopa debate, when he said ‘The ANC does not govern by referendum’.
Meanwhile, Ramulifho said residents had indicated that they don’t want e-tolls. He said he understood that it was a national project. “But Gauteng people expressed their views that they don’t want e-tolls, the DA believes that [a] referendum is the best way,” Ramulifho said.
He claimed that if the premier was not willing to listen to the voters, the DA would take many votes away from the African National Congress.
