Decision on e-tolls won’t be a Christmas present

First it was going to be August, then October… so you’ll forgive us if we don’t hold our breath waiting for the government’s “final” decision on e-tolls, despite Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula’s assurance that we will know “by Christmas”.

It remains to be seen whether e-toll highway users (those who pay and those who don’t) regard the upcoming announcement in the same way as one would a present … or whether it will be a punishment.

The contract to manage the toll collection system – which was held by Austrian-connected company ETC – expired on Monday and, so far, there has been no indication of whether any of the three companies who tendered for the new contract have been successful or not.

What does seem certain is that the 80% of Gauteng motorists who have boycotted the toll system in the province are not about to bow down before the government – no matter how threatening the ANC administration gets.

If the authorities try to persecute non-payers – while at the same time doing nothing about the even higher non-payment rate for electricity by the residents of Soweto – then they could have even more of a revolt on their hands.

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

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