D-Day for e-tolls? Decision expected

990 The N12 gantry at The Glen towards Alberton. Sanral e-toll 051114. Picture: Bongiwe Mchunu

990 The N12 gantry at The Glen towards Alberton. Sanral e-toll 051114. Picture: Bongiwe Mchunu

Published Feb 23, 2015

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Johannesburg - Gauteng premier David Makhura is expected to make a major announcement on the future of e-tolls when he delivers his second State of the Province Address this morning.

While party insiders are not expecting an immediate total scrapping, they are hoping that Makhura will give finer details of his planned move to scrap e-tolls.

Makhura’s Address comes a few weeks after his party in Gauteng resolved that the current system of e-tolls was “undesirable, unworkable and unsustainable” and needed to be replaced.

ANC Gauteng head of communication Nkenke Kekana said his party was expecting the premier to make an announcement on e-tolls, saying any new system to be implemented must “meet the test of affordability, administrative simplicity, equity and sustainability”.

While Kekana repeatedly mentioned the need to replace the present system, the seasoned ANC politician, who is highly influential within party ranks, did not share the finer details ahead of the address.

WORKING ON ALTERNATIVES

The Star, however, understands that Makhura, deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa and the National Treasury were working on the possibility of implementing an increased fuel levy and higher motor vehicle registration fees as well as tolling peripheral Gauteng roads as an alternative.

Kekana said: “We do not know what the premier is going to say, but we, as the ANC, we would like him to announce the scrapping of the present system.”

Public service trade union Nehawu also supported the call for the scrapping of e-tolls.

Nehawu provincial secretary Tshepo Mokgerenyana said: “The provincial ANC conference resolved for the total scrapping of e-tolls systems and, as a result, the premier appointed an advisory panel on the socio-economic effect of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project and e-tolls.

“We are unwavering in our opposition to e-tolls and maintain that they must be scrapped.”

The Star

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