Several Western Cape mayors vowed on Thursday to join the fight against e-tolling in the province.<\/p>\n
“We, the mayors of the DA<\/a>-led municipalities of Stellenbosch, Theewaterskloof, Drakenstein, Breede Valley, and the Winelands District want to express our unconditional opposition to Sanral’s proposed N1 and N2 Winelands toll project,” they said in a statement.<\/p>\n “We wholeheartedly support the City of Cape Town in its attempt to obtain an interdict to stop this project and will soon formally meet with them to discuss our involvement.”<\/p>\n The mayors said the proposed tolls would have dire consequences for locals and the poorer communities would be largely affected.<\/p>\n The tolls would also badly affect the agricultural sector.<\/p>\n “Farmers already spend millions each year to transport their loads to and from the Cape Town harbour.<\/p>\n “The planned toll will be a tremendous additional financial burden to this industry and the many people it employs under difficult financial circumstances,” said the mayors.<\/p>\n They criticised the SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral<\/a>) for not disclosing the cost of the project and not providing the public with a full understanding of the financial implications.<\/p>\n The mayors said taxpayers had already spent large amounts of money in maintaining the province’s roads.<\/p>\n Sanral served the city with a notice on March 6 indicating that it intended resuming the project.<\/p>\n On Monday, city officials filed an application to halt the project.<\/p>\n Transport and roads mayoral committee member Brett Herron<\/a> said the urgent interdict application had been set down for May 16 and 17 in the Western Cape High Court.<\/p>\n The city had previously filed an urgent interdict application in November 2011.<\/p>\n Sanral agreed at that stage to take no further steps towards introducing the project pending the review application yet to be decided upon by the Western Cape High Court.<\/p>\n It also undertook to provide the city with 45 days’ notice of its intention to start working on the project.<\/p>\n Herron said Sanral agreed not to conclude a concession agreement before June 1, 2013.<\/p>\n OUTA appeals e-toll ruling<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Outa mulls over e-tolls appeal<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nMore e-tolling articles<\/h3>\n