Cosatu continues e-toll fight

The union’s provincial secretary Dumisani Dakile said the commencement of e-tolling on Gauteng highways represented government’s refusal to listen to the views of the people and the poor.

“[The government] have demonstrated their stubbornness and unwillingness to cooperate with workers and the working class,” he added.’

Dakile criticised the African National Congress and said e-tolling represented a clear demonstration of those who are “power drunk and believe that they can do as they wish”.

He added that e-tolling would have a significant impact on voters in the province during the 2014 election and called on President Jacob Zuma to scrap e-tolling.

“We believe that there is still time to intervene and scrap this unjustified system in the province before it is too late.”

Cosatu plans to occupy highways, organise sit-ins, lunch-hour demonstrations, stay-aways and go on hunger strikes.

Speaking just hours after the user-pay system became operational, Dakile said he hoped that the public would begin to realise the need to join the union’s mass protest and civil disobedience.

“The most important weapon now at our disposal is to refuse to cooperate with Sanral and not to buy e-tags in numbers,” he said.

“The success of the system depends on the cooperation and support from the public and motorists.”

Dakile also called on compliant motorists to de-register, adding that the trade union was compiling de-registration forms.

Additionally, Cosatu was starting a petition in a bid to get two million signatures opposing e-tolling.

The trade union’s campaign will begin in January next year.