Johannesburg - The government’s “threat tactics” to withhold licence discs of e-toll defaulters may convince some motorists to reluctantly cough up, but the head of the opposition lobby group still believes in the public’s ability – and will – to fight.
“Compliance must come willingly, not through enforcement,” said Wayne Duvenage of the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance. “Yes, there’s going to be an increase in payment, but we’re not perturbed.
“The threats and fears will get some people paying, but on the whole society has seen through this debacle and this farce before. (E-tolling) will fail again; it’s just a matter of when. People have the right to disobey stupid laws and policies.”
This week, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, who led a government task team examining Gauteng’s e-tolling system, said the government would alter legislation to ensure motorists with unpaid e-tolls bills would not be able to receive their licence discs.
Duvenage pointed out that, when the e-toll system was launched in December 2013, “people thought the battle was lost. We were threatened that if we didn’t pay we’d get criminal records. We told the public, you must make your own decisions. Some people paid because they were threatened.”
But at its peak, Sanral only ever had 45 percent compliance. “That was last June. And this was (because of) their threatening tactics. They were making R120 million a month and they needed R260 million. So, as a user-pays system goes, that’s a big fail – and a massive win for society. It’s a tax revolt.
“We will see whether this passes the constitutional test – if it’s not lawful, then we will challenge it legally as and when required. There are fun and games ahead. This is round number two. Round one went to the people and two will go to the people.”
Ramaphosa announced a reduction in non-tag tariffs, a reduced monthly cap and a 60 percent discount for the payment of currently unpaid toll fees.
Howard Dembovsky of the Justice Project SA, said it, too, would consider legal action if the government didn’t seriously reconsider linking e-tolls to licence discs. “Even if this proposed amendment were to pass constitutional muster,” he said, “there’s no guarantee that holding motorists to ransom by withholding a licence disc would have the desired effect of forcing people to pay their outstanding bills.
“The failure to display a licence disc is a minor infringement under the Aarto act, which carries a R250 penalty”, he added. “Your vehicle can’t be impounded. Your insurance company can’t refuse to pay.”
Last night, the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA, which is aligned to Cosatu, warned the government that continuing “to force e-tolls down the throats of people of Gauteng is likely to have far worse consequences for the governing party in the upcoming local government elections”.
Saturday Star