Parliament – South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday ruled out the possibility of a referendum on e-tolls after the Economic Freedom Fighters challenged him to call a vote on the user pay principle.
“The issue of the referendum has not even been an issue that has been considered,” Ramaphosa said while answering questions in the National Assembly. “It is out of the question anyway.”
The deputy president indicated the implementation of e-tolls in Gauteng was no longer up for debate after a task team he headed halved e-toll tariffs in the province, and decided both the national and Gauteng government would fund the expected R390 million annual shortfall.
Ramaphosa acknowledged it was an unpopular decision.
“The responsibility of the government is to make sure that it acts in the interest of all people and it governs and sometimes the decision government takes… at times they do take unpopular decisions with a view of advancing the interests of the many, and this is precisely what has had to happen,” he said.
Asked if government would not consider raising the money through hiking the fuel levy, Ramaphosa maintained the government position that it would not be fair for others not using Gauteng freeways, and that in fact it would be to the detriment of the poor.
“It would discriminate against the poor and lower income families because if you utilise the fuel levy, you are going to have the bus drivers, the taxi drivers that are going to up their tariffs.”
ANA