Johannesburg - The Automobile Association has weighed in on the war of words that has erupted between Sanral and Outa, saying that the cost of the e-toll project is not the immediate issue.
After all, the money has been spent already, and all the mud-slinging, spin-doctoring and name-calling in the world won't make the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project any cheaper.
The more urgent issue for Gauteng motorists, the association says, is the need to resolve the ongoing impasse regarding non-payment of e-tolls, especially in light of Sanral's recent threats to issue summons to individuals and companies.
Outa firm on road rip-off claim
"The issues raised by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse, and the subsequent response by the South African National Roads Agency Limited, are important, and speak to significant matters of collusion, price fixing, and corruption," it added, "but the association believes this is not the most immediate and pressing concern to South African motorists, especially those in Gauteng who use the GFIP roads.
"We acknowledge that the payment of e-tolls is legislated but we cannot ignore the fact that a significant number of Gauteng road users are not paying their e-toll accounts.
"We believe this issue will eventually end in court where a decision on the validity of the debts is made. This is what Gauteng motorists are concerned about now, and efforts to resolve this should be a priority for all concerned," the AA noted.
The association reiterated its position that reserving a dedicated portion of the fuel levy was still the best funding model to pay for the GFIP, as the cost would not be amplified by administration and collection costs.
"We have said this many times before: the funding of roads is not the issue. The real issues are the mechanism chosen to fund the GFIP and Sanral's heavy-handed approach to motorists - these are the main reasons for the payment boycott, and they need to be resolved."