Opposition parties in the Gauteng legislature took premier David Makhura to task on Thursday for not scrapping the province’s e-tolling system.<\/p>\n
Democratic Alliance MPL John Moodey said e-tolls had been a thorn in Makhura’s side since he took office last year.<\/p>\n
“The people of this province have on numerous occasions and on numerous platforms said that e-tolls must go, yet the premier and the ANC refused to recommend they be scrapped,” he said during debate on Makhura’s state-of-the-province speech in Johannesburg on Monday.<\/p>\n
“Only one solution remains, and that is for the premier to announce a provincial referendum on the future of e-tolls.”<\/p>\n
Moodey criticised Makhura for delivering a state-of-the-province address which had no clear implementation timelines or deadlines.<\/p>\n
Economic Freedom Fighters MPL Mandisa Mashego said Makhura had painted a “suspiciously rosy picture” which was full of plans but no action.<\/p>\n
She said he had missed a golden opportunity by not announcing that e-tolls would be scrapped.<\/p>\n
During his address on Monday, Makhura announced “major financial relief” to motorists.<\/p>\n
“The provincial government is part of the current consultation process… to develop a better dispensation which will mitigate the negative impact of the e-tolls on the people of Gauteng, especially the middle and lower income groups.<\/p>\n
“I am confident that the new dispensation should provide major financial relief to motorists, while simplifying the payment system to make it easy for road users to pay,” he said.<\/p>\n
The provincial government was part of a consultation process led by Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa.<\/p>\n
Makhura said the final decision on the new dispensation would be made once the work of the intergovernmental team was completed, after receiving a report from the e-toll review panel.<\/p>\n
Moodey, during Thursday’s debate, said people in Gauteng did not want a hybrid system of toll collection.<\/p>\n
“In the review panel’s final report it became abundantly clear that e-tolls were forced onto the citizens of Gauteng with limited consultation,” he said.<\/p>\n
Mashego had a hard time starting her speech on Thursday as African National Congress MPLs raised points of orders or points of privilege regarding statements she had made on Monday.<\/p>\n
Mashego reportedly called Makhura a liar during his state-of-the-province speech.<\/p>\n
Gauteng legislature Speaker Ntombi Mekgwe warned members about using “unparliamentary language”.<\/p>\n
She said she would present a report on Friday on Mashego’s comments.<\/p>\n
New e-toll system to give \u2018major financial relief\u2019<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n E-toll tariffs getting cut<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Why the new e-toll proposals won\u2019t work<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n