We may not scrap e-tolls completely: DA
Helen Zille, leader of South Africa’s opposition political party, the Democratic Alliance, says that it may not be able to scrap the e-toll system should it come into power in Gauteng.
However, Zille said that a DA run Gauteng would put a stop to further implementation of the controversial system.
The proposed tariffs for e-tolling have been published in the Government Gazette and the public has 30 days to comment. Transport Minister, Dipuo Peters, has said that the system could be implemented before the end of the year.
It follows the Supreme Court of Appeal’s dismissal of an appeal by Opposition To Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) to scrap the system in Gauteng.
SABC News reported that Zille made the comments at an event at the Johannesburg Country Club on Thursday (17 October).
According to SABC News, Zille said: “We have said we will oppose e-tolls with everything we have got. We have been very careful not to say we will scrap e-tolls because when you inherit contracts done by a previous government you battle like hell to undo them.”
The Western Cape Premier added: “We have just had this big setback where we put this million rand into this Outa case. We’ve just had a big setback in the verdict on that.”
The DA contributed R1 million to Outa’s court action saying it “believed it was important to contest the principle of e-tolling”.
Following Thursday’s statements, however, the Western Cape Premier posted a comment on social media site Twitter on Friday (18 October) standing firm in the party’s stance against the controversial system:
Helen Zille Tweet
Mmusi Maimane, the DA Premier Candidate for Gauteng has been staunchly opposed to the system, actively campaigning against its implementation in the province.
“If elected Gauteng Premier, I pledge to do everything possible to stop e-tolling in its tracks,” Maimane has said in a statement on Friday.
“If I become Premier of Gauteng, I will do everything possible to get rid of e-tolling,” he has said before.
The Gauteng lead said that the DA is currently receiving legal advice on next step to challenge e-tolling.
“If the DA does bring a legal challenge before the election it is likely to be on different grounds to the Outa case.
“However the DA’s ability to fight tolls will primarily be as a party of government in Gauteng. That is why the surest way to defeat tolling is for South Africans to voice their opposition at the ballot box next year.
“It has become very clear over the past few weeks that government has not revealed the true cost of e-tolling to the public. Reports in today’s Times newspaper suggest that visitors to this province will also feel the impact of this system.
“We encourage the citizens of this country to use the power of their vote to get rid of e-tolling in 2014,” the DA said on Friday (18 October).
More on e-tolls
E-toll courts proposal a “slap in the face” for SA
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