The DA says that Transport minister Dipuo Peters cannot ignore the growing opposition to e-tolls any longer.<\/p>\n
Addressing an audience during a protest at the Department of Transport on Thursday (2 October), DA Parliamentary Leader\u00a0Mmusi Maimane said: “There is now opposition from within your own party.”<\/p>\n
He said that Gauteng Premier Makhura has made it clear when he said: “if needs be, I will stand with the people of Gauteng” against e-tolls.<\/p>\n
“Today, we march to the National Department of Transport to tell Minister Dipuo Peters that she must listen to Gauteng Premier David Makhura.”<\/p>\n
Eye Witness News reported that e-tolls will be on the agenda of an ANC\u00a0elective conference in Pretoria on the weekend, to be attended by 400 branches.<\/p>\n
It said that\u00a0 the Gauteng ANC provincial government officials called on the party to listen to residents on e-tolls.<\/p>\n
The Gauteng ANC has previously been opposed to the project and this issue is expected to be high on the agenda at this weekend’s elective conference.<\/p>\n
Deputy provincial secretary Boyce Maneli said: \u201cAs a party that listens to the people, we should be looking at the impact of e-tolls on the lives of people in Gauteng.”<\/p>\n
“So as we engage in policy discussions, we should be able to discuss these issues as they affect our people and see what else needs to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n
The DA said that so overwhelming is this rejection that he had to set up a public participation Advisory Panel, after e-tolls had already been installed for 10 months.<\/p>\n
“Yet minister Peters denies today that she will even consider the pleas of the people of Gauteng,” Maimane said.<\/p>\n
“Our demand to the minister is that she legitimize the Gauteng Advisory Panel by agreeing to receive its findings.<\/p>\n
“Our demand to the Minister is that she receive the findings and take them very seriously, because they will reflect the will of the people.”<\/p>\n
The Gauteng Advisory Panel is set to present its findings in November.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat panel\u2019s report is not my report. It\u2019s not the national Department of Transport\u2019s report because we did not constitute a panel to review any policy. The user-pay principle is the policy in South Africa,” Peters said on Wednesday (1 October).<\/p>\n
Users paying e-toll bills regularly: Sanral<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n E-toll services rated as \u201cvery poor\u201d<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n