A proposal to reduce toll tariffs for Gauteng's freeways does not soften Cosatu's objections to it, the union federation said on Friday, urging transport minister S'bu Ndebele to reject the recommendation.
The proposed reduced toll tariffs were released by the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) steering committee director-general George Mahlalela on Thursday. Mahlalela said the reduced charges would now be submitted to government for consideration.
Cosatu was shocked that Mahlalela assumed that “the principle of tolling has been accepted”, and that the only issue now was making the tolls more affordable, national spokesman Patrick Craven said in a statement.
“Accepted by whom? There has been virtually no consultation, only one public meeting,” he said.
“These minimal reductions however in no way meet Cosatu's objections to the imposition of these road tolls and we urge the Minister of Transport to reject the recommendation.”
The SA Transport and Allied Workers' Union (Satawu) on Friday said the tolls would impose a huge additional burden on road users. It would have a devastating effect on workers who had no alternative but to drive to work because of a lack of proper public transport.
Craven said Cosatu supported Satawu's plans for marches, demonstrations, pickets and stayaways in protest over the tolls. “ 1/8Cosatu 3/8 promises that the entire federation will be marching with them. We are confident that thousands of other Gauteng residents will be joining in these protests as well,” he said.
According to the proposals given on Thursday, users of light motor vehicles would pay R0.40/km instead of R0.49/km, minibus taxi drivers R0.11/km instead of R0.16/km and bikers R0.24 instead of R0.30/km.
This only apply to people using e-tags. The initial tariff announced was R0.66/km for vehicles without an e-tag account.
For medium vehicles, the toll fee was reduced from R1.49/km to R1 and for large vehicles from R2.97 to R2. For commuter buses the cost would be reduced from R0.50/km to R0.36.
An e-tag works much like pre-paid cellphone airtime, fits on the front windscreen of a vehicle and is scanned by toll gantries.
Forty two electronic toll gates have been erected on the N1, N3, N12, N17, R21 and R24. The tolls cover a distance of about 185km. - Sapa