Could it be that something is going to be done to do away with the much-hated e-toll system in Gauteng? In parliament last week, Transport Minister Blade Nzimande said the government is revamping its roads policy, including that relating to new toll roads, and will be reviewing the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project.
Ben Theron, CEO of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa), says the ANC’s promises on reviewing toll roads are nothing new. He also notes that the party is going to have to do something about e-tolls, or risk losing the 2019 polls in Gauteng.
Already, the failure of millions of motorists to pay e-tolls – and the logistical and public relations nightmare of trying to recover the money from them – has become the biggest single act of civil defiance since 1994.
There are other ways of funding these urban highways – such as fuel levies, even ones specific to Gauteng alone. These should be considered seriously.
We do sense a new air of realism at the SA National Roads Agency (Sanral) and we agree with them that an acceptable funding mechanism has to be found.
Roads are the lifeblood of the country and they need to be paid for … just not through e-tolls.
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