E-tolls: DA pickets Makhura's office

02/10/2014. DA members with their placards during a protest against etolls outside the Department of Transport in Pretoria. Picture: Masi Losi

02/10/2014. DA members with their placards during a protest against etolls outside the Department of Transport in Pretoria. Picture: Masi Losi

Published Mar 4, 2015

Share

Johannesburg - The DA has picketed in front of the Gauteng premier's office to urge him to call for a referendum on e-tolls.

Provincial leader John Moodey said on Wednesday at the picket in central Johannesburg: “We're here as the voice of the people of Gauteng and to raise awareness that we're taking their fight forward.

More than 100 people wearing Democratic Alliance T-shirts danced and sang in Simmonds Street, where Moodey was expected to address them later.

“We will continue to raise the issue of the total scrapping of e-tolls,” he said.

“We're making a plea to the premier for a referendum on the matter so that the people's voices can be heard once and for all.”

He said they would not hand over a memorandum as thousands of people had already e-mailed the premier expressing opposition to the system.

CONTEMPT

DA spokesman for roads and transport Neil Campbell called for a fuel levy to pay for roads, instead of e-tolls.

""We reject the e-tolls with the contempt they deserve,” he said. “We do want to pay for the roads by a dedicated, ring-fenced national fuel levy.”

He asked who was getting rich from the e-tolls, and said because of apartheid-era spacial planning, the poor were paying the most for transport.

Makhura's suggestion of a hybrid system would increase in cost year after year, he said.

DA provincial chairman Solly Msimanga compared the relationship between Gauteng's residents and the e-toll system to the relationship between a battered wife and her partner.

The abuse, by the government and its e-toll system, started slowly, but people would continue to accept it, even if it got worse.

He said the premier was not listening to what the province's people wanted.

"Instead of listening to us they're doing what the previous government did to us," he said. "This is an unwanted way of collecting money for the roads."

VOX POPULI

Peter Polan, from Eldorado Park, said it was difficult for him to pay e-tolls on top of other expenses.

“The petrol price, food price and electricity is going up and I must still pay e-tolls,” he said. “Everything increases because of the e-tolls. It's counterproductive.”

Letticia Spani said it had become expensive to travel by taxi into Johannesburg each day from her home in Grasmere.

“We are using a taxi. It's too expensive,” she said.

Peter Stewart said e-tolls ate into the little bit of money he had left at the end of each month.

“It takes that bottom bit of money that you've got left, that's gone,” he said.

“Everything goes up, rates, taxes, petrol. Then you've still got to cope with e-tolls.”

Stewart said the tolls affected everyone and that there was no alternative.

“There's no public transport, Rea Vaya is on strike, the Gautrain doesn't run everywhere.”

During the picket, police blocked the entrance of the premier's office.

Sapa

Related Topics: