Sanral used public money for award: DA
Ian Ollis, the DA shadow minister of transport has accused the SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) of using public funds in order to enter a competition and legitimise its building of e-tolls in South Africa.
Sanral said on Tuesday (4 June) that its e-tolling system has won an international technology award.
It was awarded the 2013 Toll Excellence Award by the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA), even though e-tolling was not yet operating as anticipated on Gauteng highways.
The DA’s Ollis said that the award can only be granted to members of IBTTA, and that annual membership is up to R110,000 ($11,580). “This is money which must have been paid with public funds,” he said.
Ollis also noted that IBTTA is a small group of toll-road endorsing companies, which openly encourage the building of toll-roads. “Their whole point of existence is to praise toll roads, not to help find alternative solutions which help poor people.”
The DA accused Sanral of nominating itself after joining and using public money to become members, “in order to try and [legitimise] their building of e-tolls in South Africa”.
“For this then to be used as support for the building of toll roads, is just plain ludicrous. It is nothing more than a pathetic attempt to try and find good reasons for toll-roads in South Africa when none exist,” Ollis said.
If anything, the DA said it has completely backfired on Sanral, “because receiving an award for e-tolling from a group whose major aim is to promote e-tolls is laughable at best”.
The opposition party said it will be submitting parliamentary questions to the Minister of Transport, Ben Martins, who needs to account to parliament as to:
- How many memberships to bodies and associations his Department, and entities reporting to it, are subscribed to;
- How memberships to each has been decided upon;
- What the cost for each membership amounts to; and
- What the benefits to each membership entails.
The DA claimed that Sanral’s IBTTA membership does not appear to serve any public interest.
“All IBTTA offers are discounts to workshops and exhibitions, as well as access to a monthly letter from the Executive Director and a biannually published journal. IBTTA also provides positive PR support to countries struggling to gain public support for tolls,” Ollis said.
“It is in this light that the ‘2013 Toll Excellence Award’ must be viewed as a means to dupe the public into thinking that toll roads are a good thing.”
More on e-tolls
E-tolls net Sanral international tech award
E-toll tariff reduction? Big whoop, says Outa
Gauteng e-tolls imminent: Sanral
E-tolls needed for economic growth: Martins
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