Solly Msimanga calls on Ramaphosa to scrap e-tolls in Gauteng

Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng premier candidate Solly Msimanga on Wednesday called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to scrap e-tolls in the province and announce alternative plans for funding Gauteng roads.

Msimanga said he made the call to the president after the DA learnt that Ramaphosa will soon announce more stringent measures to deal with the non-payment of e-tolls.

“But we are not hopeful that this announcement will ease the excessive burden imposed on commuters by the failing ANC,” Msimanga said.

Msimanga said the DA is also calling on Ramaphosa to cancel the contract of the electronic toll collections joint venture consortium with Kapsch TrafficCom, which is due to expire in 2019, since it is projected that 93% of the money raised through e-tolls goes straight into the hands of the Austrian company which is the collection agency while only 7% is used for maintaining Gauteng roads.

“Clearly, e-tolls does not benefit the residents of Gauteng.”

Msimanga said e-tolls are an excessive and unnecessary burden on the province’s residents who, due to inflation and the increase in petrol prices, are already struggling to survive.

“The e-tolls also have cost implications on goods such as groceries which pass through Gauteng, meaning that it affects all South Africans,” Msimanga said.

The DA Gauteng premier candidate said Sanral’s issuing of summonses to companies and motorists for non-payment of e-tolls has a major impact on these businesses trying to survive during an economic recession in the country.

“Gauteng Premier David Makhura has on numerous occasions indicated that e-tolls are not working yet nothing has happened. Another broken promise by the failing ANC,” Msimanga said.

Msimanga added that Makhura had promised during his state of the province address that since e-tolls are not working he would engage with Ramaphosa to try and find a solution to the matter.

“However, to date, the premier has not given us any feedback and this e-toll saga remains unresolved,” Msimanga said.

Msimanga added that the governing African National Congress (ANC) has been using the e-toll controversy for electioneering ahead of the 2019 national elections.

He said Minister of Transport Blade Nzimande indicated 2 months ago that R67 billion is owed to the  South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) for the building of the freeways.

“The DA calls on the national government to find an alternative way of funding and maintaining Gauteng roads.”

Msimanga said he has requested his colleagues in the provincial legislature and the National Assembly to submit questions with regards to the amount of money raised through e-tolls in Gauteng in order to determine whether this money is sufficient to maintain provincial roads.

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