The “E-tolls – proudly brought to you by the ANC” billboards have sparked debate among Gauteng motorists.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) not denying responsibility for these billboards has only added fuel to the debate.
The message communicated to motorists via the billboards lay the blame for the tolls squarely on the shoulders of the ruling party. This outdoor advertising campaign was a trending subject on social media forums last week, with the hashtag, #ProudlyBroughtToYouByANC trending on Twitter for more than two days.
The various views and opinions of the billboards were of two extremes, with some readers holding the view that the DA should be applauded for taking a stance against e-tolls. Other readers felt the billboards were not a stand against the tolls but were rather an opportunistic election campaign by the DA.
The NEWS took to the streets of Bedfordview and Edenvale, where it became obvious that readers have contradicting views on the question, “Is the Democratic Alliance’s billboards a move to support motorists’ objections to e-tolls, or did the party grab the opportunity to contribute to its 2014 election campaign?”
Mr Wayne Scott, a Greenstone Hill businessman said, “It is the plain truth because the e-tolls were brought by the ANC. We didn’t get the chance to vote on the matter and it was done and dusted by the government. It is obviously a good tactic by the DA to put the ANC under pressure and gain more supporters.”
Mr Andrew Marais said, “We can’t give an answer on whether it is an election ploy or not because the billboards could be both an election campaign and an honest fight against e-tolls by the DA.”
Ms Lizzy Molefe, who recently started having trouble managing her car expenses, said she finds it upsetting the e-tolls will be signed into law. She further said, “Politics are a field of deception and concealed intention, where political parties do things to get into the news. I wouldn’t be surprised if these DA billboards were put up for exactly that reason.”
Mr Mike Bekker claimed he leads a happier life ignoring the politics of this country, saying, “This is why I don’t vote anymore. I love my country but politics make me hate it. It is because of incidences like the billboards put up by the DA that I don’t support this country’s politics. Political parties use real-life, everyday issues for their own interests.”
Mr Thabo Mali, an ANC supporter, argued that the DA wants to get ahead of other political parties for the upcoming elections. He said, “The DA is wrong for placing the ANC’s name on the billboard. The DA should focus on improving the performance of its own party rather than pointing out the wrong-doings of other parties. The name of the ANC should have been omitted from the billboard.”
Mr Mmusi Maimane, the leader of the DA in Johannesburg as well as the national spokesperson for the DA, said the following regarding the billboards: “The first thing people need to understand is that when the cabinet made the decision to bring in e-tolling, it was a cabinet led by the ANC. E-tolls are a political issue, and as a political party, it is in our interest to fight the issue. People must know that the billboard message was exactly that: ‘E-tolls – Proudly Brought to you by the ANC’, which it is.”
When asked how the billboard was a fight against e-tolling, Mr Maimane said, “The billboard is a fight against e-tolls. We will fight e-tolling everywhere we go and we will continue to do so. The South African voters should know that by supporting the ANC, they support e-tolling. By supporting the DA, they support a party that opposes it.”
Mr Maimane said the important message of the billboard is that the DA wants to be the voice of the people post e-tolling.
“People need to find a voice. You cannot sit at home waiting to be taxed. The hard working people of Gauteng need to find a voice in this discourse about e-tolling, so we gave them the voice through the billboard, which is why I don’t see anything wrong with it,” said Maimane.
