The Democratic Alliance on Wednesday called for a fuel levy to pay for roads, instead of e-tolls, during a protest outside Gauteng premier David Makhura’s office.<\/p>\n
“We do want to pay for them [the roads] by a dedicated, ring-fenced national fuel levy,” the party’s spokesman for roads and transport Neil Campbell said during a picket by about 100 DA supporters in Simmonds Street, central Johannesburg.<\/p>\n
He asked who was getting rich from the e-tolls.<\/p>\n
“We reject the e-tolls with the contempt they deserve.”<\/p>\n
He said because of apartheid-era spacial planning, the poor were paying the most for transport.<\/p>\n
Makhura’s suggestion of a hybrid system would increase in cost year after a year, he said.<\/p>\n
DA provincial chairman Solly Msimanga compared the relationship between Gauteng’s residents and the e-toll system to the relationship between a battered wife and her partner.<\/p>\n
The abuse, by the government and its e-toll system, started slowly, but people would continue to accept it, even if it got worse.<\/p>\n
He said the premier was not listening to what the province’s people wanted.<\/p>\n
“Instead of listening to us they’re doing what the previous government did to us,” he said.<\/p>\n
“This is an unwanted way of collecting money for the roads.”<\/p>\n
The DA called for Makhura to hold a referendum on the system.<\/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