COSATU maintains opposition to e-tolls
Toll-gates
JOHANNESBURG – THE Congress of South Africa Trades Union (COSATU) has dissuaded Gauteng motorist from paying the controversial electronic tolls alleging the scheme was aimed at privatising the country’s roads.
COSATU spokesman, Patrick Craven, said the federation would not support government imposing the project on poor people already struggling to make ends meet.
“The federation remain totally opposed to the user-pays principle, which the (Transport) Minister (Dipuo Peters) insists “remained a policy of government”, and which is also advocated in the National Development Plan (NDP) which states that in the long term, “users must pay the bulk of the
costs for economic infrastructure, with due protection for poor households,” said Craven.
He said the e-toll programme was directly contrary to the spirit of the Freedom Charter, which called for public services to be provided on the basis of people’s needs and not their wealth.
“The capitalist nature of e-tolling was vividly illustrated when SANRAL (South African Roads Agencyrecently objected to the Gauteng review panel on the grounds that it created uncertainty and undermined investor confidence.
“They are saying that placating investors is more important that listening to the people of Gauteng, who made their hatred of e-tolls clear in the 7 May 2014 election, and their democratically elected Premier, who responded to their concerns,” Craven said.
Since 2011, SANRAL became the target of popular resentment owing to the introduction of the e-tolls.
According to SANRAL, the tolls are in order to finance the completion of highway expansions.
– CAJ News
Short URL: http://cajnewsafrica.com/?p=430
Posted by 
