DA calls for e-toll referendum
JOBURG - Gauteng Premier David Makhura has betrayed the people of the province by refusing to call for the scrapping of e-tolls despite overwhelming public opposition to this unfair and unjust system, the Democratic Alliance said.
Gauteng DA leader and Shadow MEC for Roads and Transport John Moodey said, “Last week the premier promised further consultations with all the stakeholders, yet he still insists that motorists must pay. By doing so, the premier unnecessarily dumps the people of Gauteng into further drawn out review processes which will inevitably lead to the same conclusion that e-tolls are unjust and should be scrapped.”
In evaluating the socio-economic impact of e-tolls, the review panel found that the system is unsustainable, that there is widespread opposition to it, that the poor and working class are bearing the brunt of the financial burden, and that alternative methods of funding should be sought.
Addressing the media at the DA boardroom in Gauteng Legislature, Moodey said in its recommendations the panel proposed a hybrid system with funding sourced from tolls and other means, such as increased licensing fees, tyre taxes, issuing prepaid e-tags upon vehicle license renewals, and ring-fencing the fuel levy.
“In short, Makhura’s panel has recommended that e-tolling must remain when the vast majority of us oppose it. Today we demand that the premier places the decision on e-tolling in the hands of the people. The DA today calls on Premier David Makhura to announce a referendum on e-tolls in his State of the Province address on 19 February,” said Moodey.
He added that the panel’s recommendation of a hybrid model overcomplicates an already-uncertain funding regime and still forces the public to pay through one ‘stealth tax’ after another. “The people’s voice on e-tolling must prevail, not the panel’s voice,” Moodey insisted.
He said shifting gantries around is not pro-poor in the least, as Makhura claimed. “It is anti-poor. E-tolls drive up the costs of goods and services, severely slow down economic growth, and hamper job creation. All residents, including the poor, will still pay for e-tolls through higher prices, lost jobs and restricted movement. The review panel process offered the people of Gauteng no relief whatsoever, and they will be forced to pay – despite the premier promising otherwise,” Moodey said.
He stated that the premier has to call for a provincial referendum in terms of Section 127 of the Constitution.
