Cosatu will encourage its 2 million members to take part in a national protest against the e-tolling system, it said on Tuesday.
“(Cosatu) is mobilising its 2 million members for the mother of all protests against the act of highway robbery set to be committed from 30 April 2012 – the Gauteng e-tolls,” spokesman Patrick Craven said.
“We are confident that we will be joined by many thousands more angry residents and motorists who support our demand for the scrapping of these tolls.”
Cosatu is planning several rallies, marches, demonstrations and night vigils at the offices of the SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) and the Transport Department across the country from April 23. These would lead up to a large “national stay-away or socio-economic strike” on April 30.
Craven said opposition to the tolls was “overwhelming”, especially to the new punitive rate which will be applied to motorists who do not get windscreen-mounted e-tags.
“These threats will have the exact opposite effect. They will infuriate people and make them even more determined to follow Cosatu's advice not to register and not to buy an e-tag,” he said. “In the end, however, it is the pressure of the masses which will force government to back down. People power has brought down governments in North Africa; it can surely stop this assault on our living standards.”
Sanral’s newly released toll tariffs have caused a second legal action to be launched against them and has drawn criticism by business in SA.
The gazette revealed that gantries have differing toll rates, and that non-e-tagged motorists could pay as much as three times the ordinary rates if they don’t pay their tolls within seven days.
As a result, AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel said they had decided to instruct their legal team to prepare to oppose the decision that non-e-tagged users would pay far more than those with e-tags.
Kriel said Sanral was using “punitive tariffs to entrench Sanral and the e-toll’s systems dominant and non-competitive position in an irregular manner”.
He quoted the Competition Act which states that no dominant company is allowed to abuse its position of dominance in order to levy excessive tariffs.
This legal action will be on top of legal action by the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance which is seeking an urgent interdict to stop e-tolling from going ahead. The consumer commissioner, who is currently reviewing Sanral’s terms and conditions, has also indicated she is looking at the new tariff structures to see if they are aligned with the act.
The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Sacci) and Business Unity South Africa (Busa) said they were concerned with the gazetted tariffs and the regulations published on the policing of the e-tolling system.
Sacci CEO Neren Rau said he was calling on Sanral to delay the implementation of e-tolling until the specifics were clarified.
“The chamber has from the outset been concerned about the disproportionate allocation of the toll fee to maintenance of the tolling infrastructure, as opposed to the road infrastructure itself,” said Rau.
He said this would increase the costs of doing business and believed small and medium enterprises would pass the cost on to the consumer causing an inflationary consequence.
Busa also believes the toll tariffs will greatly increase the cost of doing business in SA and said there had been poor consultation between government and its social partners on this.
The SPCA has also expressed concern about the tolls they will be forced to pay. Christine Kuch said the SPCA appealed to Sanral for exemption of tolling, but was turned down.
“The NSPCA now finds itself in a position whereby we shall have no option but to use public funds to pay for our vehicles to be allowed on to freeways as we go to assist animals,” Kuch said.
She said the organisation often had to go on to the freeways to rescue wandering animals, including dogs, horses, donkeys and other wildlife. “It is ludicrous, if not downright immoral, that our hard-earned cash will be used for the purpose of paying tolls,” she said.
In contrast DHL Express managing director Michael Druce believes companies in Gauteng have achieved greater business returns from the improved road infrastructure. Druce said congestion on the roads was strangling trade and impeding the movement of goods. His company saw on-time delivery escalate by 97 percent. - The Star