Cape Town - A debate on the N1/N2 Winelands toll project descended into a finger-pointing match between the DA and the ANC in the provincial legislature on Thursday night.
ANC member of the provincial legislature Carol Beerwinkel accused the DA of misleading the people of the Western Cape by “pretending to be against the tolls”.
She said the DA supported the concept of tolling in its internal transport policy, but was now publicly opposing the tolls to score “cheap political points” ahead of next year’s election.
“In their party’s transport policy, the DA says it will pass toll roads,” Beerwinkel said. “The DA does want tolls. Their transport policy is proof of that. The ANC in the Western Cape has been opposing the tolls since 2003. The ANC is engaging constructively with Sanral (the SA National Road Agency) nationally, to seek workable solutions. We do not believe the poor should be burdened with extra costs. We oppose the tolls.”
DA provincial leader and Sport and Culture MEC Ivan Meyer said the tolls were “only good for ANC entrepreneurs”.
He said the party would mobilise and embark on a “mass campaign” on the streets to demonstrate its opposition to the tolls.
“The ANC wants to punish the poor of the Western Cape with the tolls,” Meyer said.
“People may be poor, but they are not stupid. It is painful to think that Sanral and the ANC can’t listen to the people and stop the tolls.”
Meyer said the ANC in the Western Cape was guilty of “double-talk” on their “apparent opposition” to the tolls.
“ANC member Chris Stali on Friday said that the party was against the toll and that they are not entirely against it,” he said. “There has been no proper consultation. We have to ask why the ANC likes mega projects? It’s because it’s business for cadres.”
Transport and Public Works MEC Robin Carlisle conceded that tolling was part of the DA’s national transport policy, but said: “While we believe users should pay for using the road, there are different ways of doing it.
“What we are dealing with here is a party (the ANC) at war with itself.”
Cope MPL Tozama Bevu said it was “surprising” that the DA was against tolls, when it was planning to implement it on Chapman’s Peak.
Cape Argus