Cape Town - Cosatu has suspended Friday’s protest action, intended to close the Huguenot Tunnel to traffic, pending an investigation by the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) into allegations of mismanagement and corruption by the company responsible for the management of the toll.
In a statement issued late on Thursday, Cosatu’s Tony Ehrenreich said: “We ask that the head office of Sanral do a detailed investigation on all the administration anomalies in the Huguenot Tunnel and revert to Cosatu by next Thursday.
“We will, as Cosatu, suspend our action to protest and close off the tunnel for traffic, until your offices (Sanral) revert.
“Failure of a positive response from your good offices on the issues raised will lead to Cosatu embarking on protest action, without further notice.”
In an open letter to Sanral, Cosatu said that it had found evidence of corruption and mismanagement by Tolcon.
In a statement, Ehrenreich referred to “exorbitant” profits made by Tolcon that was going into “private hands”.
He said: “The salaries that workers at the Huguenot Tunnel are earning are not decent wages and much less than at other Sanral toll roads.”
Cosatu would have supported the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) in its bid to close the Huguenot Tunnel when about 200 of its members protested at the toll plaza for higher wages.
More than 11 000 cars travel through the tunnel daily, and the closure of this critical N1 route could have cost Sanral at least R342 690 in lost income from tolls, based on calculations made by Peter Hugo, chairman of the Cape Chamber of Commerce’s transport portfolio committee.
Siphesihle Dube, spokesman for Donald Grant, MEC for Transport and Public Works, said provincial traffic would work closely with the police and the local traffic services to ensure there was no disruption to traffic if the planned protest went ahead.
Cosatu said Tolcon, the company responsible for the Huguenot Tunnel, has been “sucking motorists dry” for more than 20 years since the route was completed.
Meanwhile workers were paid less than R2 000 a month.
Satawu spokesman Brightness Mtwa said about 200 members were to have picketed outside the tunnel for most of the day. They are unhappy with their wages and their working conditions at the toll, and are demanding a R400 pay hike.
Despite repeated calls to Tolcon’s head office in Bedfordview, the company could not confirm whether discussions to reach a settlement with the union had failed.
Meanwhile Cosatu said further protests were being planned to object to the ongoing demand for toll fees when the construction of the tunnel had already been paid in full.
Cape Argus