Johannesburg - Cope on Monday said it was shocked that Gauteng premier David Makhura had not scrapped the much-opposed e-tolling system.
Motorists across the province had expected the tolls to be abandoned, Congress of the People spokesman Dennis Bloem said.
“We all expected that the premier would go with the findings of the panel and not be taken hostage by the national government,” he said.
Delivering the state-of-the-province address, Makhura instead promised “major financial relief” to Gauteng motorists.
“The provincial government is part of the current consultation process... to develop a better dispensation which will mitigate the negative impact of the e-tolls on the people of Gauteng, especially the middle and lower income groups,” Makhura said in a speech prepared for delivery in the legislature in Johannesburg.
He said the final decision on the new dispensation would be made once the work of the intergovernmental team was completed, after receiving a report from the e-toll review panel.
Bloem, however, said Makhura continued to make promises the way his predecessors had.
“It is action that counts. The premier failed dismally in this regard. Cope is bitterly disappointed,” said Bloem.
“In our view, the whole exercise of putting up the panel was a waste of taxpayers' money.”
Last year, Makhura established a review panel to assess the socio-economic impact of e-tolling, following calls for it to be scrapped.
On Monday, Makhura said the review panel's primary findings were that the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) had benefited the economy and Gauteng's residents in various ways. These included better quality roads, reduced travel time, fuel savings, lower vehicle operating costs, and faster movement of goods.
Bloem said his party supported the call for a referendum to settle the matter.
Sapa