Johannesburg - A proposed reduction on toll tariffs for Gauteng's freeways still puts a financial burden on road users who do not need to be taxed any further, organisations said on Thursday.
Kallie Kriel, the CEO of civil rights group AfriForum, said salary-earning motorists were becoming “cash cows” for government.
He called the tariff cut a “miracle”, because the public were initially told that there was no way to reduce costs.
“Miracles do happen, but salary-earning motorists are becoming a cash cow.”
DA provincial spokesperson Neil Campbell said: “We are being taxed to death, but get very little in return for that tax.”
Campbell, Kriel, and other representatives were speaking at a Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) stakeholder meeting in Johannesburg.
The proposed reduced toll tariffs were released to the media by GFIP steering committee director-general George Mahlalela on Thursday morning.
It was, however, embargoed for release at 1pm, while the meeting convened at 10am.
Mahlalela said the reduced charges would now be submitted to government for consideration.
Business Unity SA acting executive director for economic policy, Coenraad Bezuidenhout, said suggestions made during previous meetings with the committee had not been addressed.
He also accused the committee of not affording organisations the opportunity to prepare for Thursday's meeting, by announcing the proposed fees to the media first, and changing the programme three times.
South African Communist Party Gauteng representative Pat Ntsobi said processes lacked public participation. He said there was also no compelling reason why people had to be overburdened by toll fees.
According to the proposals, 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.
These proposed numbers 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.
Anton Alberts, Freedom Front Plus parliamentary spokesperson on transport, said the party had procedural problems with the finalisation of the proposed tariffs, and the tariffs themselves.
“In the final analyses the FF Plus is not satisfied with the concessions which have been made and will consider further options to ensure that fair tariffs see the light of day,” Alberts said.
Taxi associations also voiced concerns of having to pay for tolls.
“I would have been happy with zero payment on these roads,” National Taxi Alliance chairperson Francis Masitsa told the meeting.
He said calculations indicated that those in the taxi industry would have to fork out about R5 800 extra a year.
The South African National Taxi Association (Santaco) said commuters, some of whom were the poorest of the poor, would feel themselves discriminated against.
Santaco communications manager Thabiso Molelekwa said businesses also stood a chance of “collapsing by default”. He suggested that taxis be completely exempted from tolling.
Mahlalela intervened during the meeting, to indicate that it was “payback time” for road users.
“They are built, now we have to pay for it,” he said.
The proposed tariffs would be made to the transport and finance ministers, as well as the Gauteng premier. They will then make a pronouncement on the matter, with Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele expected to make a final announcement. - Sapa