Mashaba ‘does not know’

Mayor Herman Mashaba is new in his job and thus possibly does not understand that e-tolling is a national function and municipal officials have no say over them whatsoever.

He is also probably not aware of a statement issued by the JMPD’s spokesperson Wayne Minnaar way back in February, 2014, which says that it is not checking for e-tags.

Vusi Mona, spokesperson for South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd (Sanral) was responding to Mashaba saying there will not be co-operation between the metro police and the roads agency over e-tolls.

In a statement issued by Sanral on Wednesday, September 14, Mona said: “We do not have an agreement with the JMPD to enforce e-tolls and never have. In any case, it would be silly to have one as there is no legal requirement to have an e-tag. We, too, do not check on e-tags. We have no reason to.”

When the first rumour started about JMPD checking for e-tags, Sanral ordered an investigation into it by an independent auditing firm. Not a single instance of the JMPD checking for e-tags could be found.

Mona said that this rumour has now become an urban myth perpetuated by those with an anti-government or anti-e-toll agenda.

The statement continued: “The issue of e-tags has become politicised and reason flies out of the window when the word is used. The mayor was possibly just playing to the gallery – nonetheless the South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd (Sanral) will continue assisting the city in a spirit of cooperative governance – just like it is currently doing with the upgrading of the M1.”

Lerato Tsotetsi

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