Court dismisses e-toll challenge
A SUPREME Court of Appeal application to halt e-tolling in Gauteng has been dismissed.
The challenge was brought by the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) and heard over two days in Bloemfontein.
The only good news for Outa was that the court has overturned an earlier cost order, and Outa will no longer have to pay the legal fees of its opponents.
Government has already indicated that e-tolling would be implemented before the end of the year.
Outa chairman Wayne Duvenage said he was disappointed at the outcome on the merits but pleased with the decision on the costs order.
“We are studying the judgement together with our legal representatives, and a press conference will be held on Thursday morning at which a full statement in reaction to the decision will be made,” he said.
In his reaction, DA Premier candidate for Gauteng, Mmusi Maimane, said the ruling was not the end of the road.
“If elected, I pledge to do everything possible to stop e-tolling in its tracks,” he said. “Our legal team is exploring all options available to us should we win Gauteng in the 2014 elections. The DA contributed R1 million to the court action because we believed it was important to contest the principle of e-tolling.”
Maimane added the fight against tolling was now in the hands of the people of Gauteng. “Now we must take the fight to the ballot box in 2014 and vote out the government who brought the burden of e-tolling to South Africans.”
