Decision on e-tolls in 2 weeks, says Mbalula

South Africans need to stand up and march against e-tolls.

This was according to Wayne Duvenage, chief executive of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa), who said he was uncertain of how the government would enforce greater compliance around e-tolls when there were still outstanding court cases related to the implementation.

“It’s time for South Africans to do what they know best, which is to march against e-tolls,” he said.

Duvenage said Outa had no intention of giving in on the issue.

However, following Duvenage’s utterances, during a media briefing on Thursday night, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula spoke out against any form of protest action describing “it as a fight against the unknown”.

Gauteng Premier David Makhura said on Thursday that he will not be giving up on scrapping e-tolls in the province despite Finance Minister Tito Mboweni proclaiming during his medium term budget policy statement that the user pay-principle was here to stay.

Makhura had previously said that the e-toll system had no future in Gauteng.

“The premier and the executive council look forward to further engagements with the two ministers [Mbalula and Mboweni] on the options we have presented to the task team,” said Makhura’s spokesperson, Vuyo Mhaga, in a statement.

“We do believe that a sustainable solution that will resolve the current stalemate is within reach.”

The cabinet said on Thursday that more consultation was needed before a final decision could be taken on the future of e-tolls – a decision Makhura said he had noted.

“I note the directive of cabinet. As Gauteng ... we believe we have presented a comprehensive set of proposals with sound and well-researched options that will receive widespread support among various stakeholders in our province,” he said in a statement.

According to Mbalula “a decision regarding e-tolls will be taken in two weeks’ time”.

The ANC in Gauteng has been trying to get national government to scrap the system, arguing that it would have a negative impact on the residents of the province.

In his speech on Wednesday, Mboweni said the user-pay principle would still remain.

The medium term budget policy statement document shows that since 2014/15, national roads agency Sanral has incurred annual average losses of R1 billion.

The government has extended a total guarantee facility of R38.9 billion to the agency, of which R30.3billion had been used by March 31 this year.

Over the medium term, Sanral is expected to repay R10.7bn of maturing debt obligations and R10.8bn worth of interest payments.

To enable Sanral to pay these obligations, the government will implement direct user charges, as outlined in the white paper on national transport policy, reads the document.

Cabinet will have further engagements on what needs to happen to the billions of rands owed due to e-tolling.

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