Don’t pay e-toll bills, say ANC officials
ANC officials in Johannesburg have been encouraging other members not to pay their e-toll bills at organised meetings, according to a report in the Star Newspaper.
“We know that no one is going to be arrested or jailed for failing to pay,” one ANC official, who did not want to be named, told the paper.
“If the issue is still alive at the time that the local government elections come, it would be a surprise to all of us, because the system is totally against the strategic position of the ANC to attain its objectives.”
Another official said that they believed that e-tolling would reverse the gains the political party has made since 1994 in the country’s economic province, the Saturday Star reported.
“Also, it is a bad idea to toll urban areas where there are majority frequent users inside sub-urban areas,” he said. “The tolled roads cover a significant proportion where our people live and do business, especially the black population.”
“We can’t be arrogant and not to listen to the people.”
“It’s our own creation. We’ve got to find a way of dealing with its negative impact,” said Jolidee Matongo, ANC Joburg region spokesman. “It’s a real issue that bothers many of our members. It will ultimately affect us going forward.”
Public hearings on the socio-economic impact of the e-tolls were being heard in Midrand in September. The panel would focus on the implications and perceptions of financing the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) with e-tolls.
To date, the majority of participants in the panel review have spoken out against e-tolling, including the ANCYL in Gauteng.
ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe, recently rejected reports that he allegedly told Sanral and the transport department to snub the e-toll review panel set up by the Gauteng provincial government.
This came after Transport Minister Dipuo Peters said the national government would not scrap or review the user-pay system as a funding mechanism for urban roads, in response to the 15-person panel set up by Gauteng Premier David Makhura.
The findings of the hearings are scheduled to be released in November.
More on e-tolls
ANC split over e-toll review: report
Provinces reject fuel levy for e-tolls: report
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