Cavey Parker stood on a bridge protesting against e-tolls as part of a broader disobedience campaign before the system collapsed. Picture: ANA Archives
Pretoria – The EFF in Gauteng has rejected “with great contempt” calls to refund “arrogant” individuals and companies which were paying for e-tolls despite the public outcry and public disobedience by majority of motorists.
“These are the kind of people and companies who collaborated with and conformed to the apartheid regime, simply because it was given legitimacy by law. People and companies who cannot think nor empathise with the masses must never be rewarded for their elitist behaviour,” said EFF Gauteng chairperson Nkululeko Dunga.
“The Economic Freedom Fighters has remained steadfast in its call to boycott of e-tolls in Gauteng. We have led marches in 2013 to the office of the premier, and we have questioned how these e-tolls would benefit the already over-taxed poor citizens of Gauteng.
“Year after year, we watched national ministers go against their very internal calls for the scrapping of e-tolls, yet they continued to insist that this was government policy even though they knew it was a lie. Today, we are told to be jubilant that the sexual abuser of a finance minister, Godongwana decided to listen to the masses and move to scrap these e-tolls,” Dunga said.
He said the collapsing of the controversial e-toll system was one of “theatrics” by the governing ANC ahead of the 2024 elections.
“The Economic Freedom Fighters in Gauteng further notes that the report by the South African Roads Agency (Sanral) that they are in debt to the tune of R47 000 000 due to the non-payment of e-tolls. Let it be known now that the EFF in Gauteng, will never support this corruption scheme. In fact, the premier must fund-raise this money with his circle of friends in the corrupt ANC,” Dunga said.
He said the people of Gauteng still lack basic services such as access to clean water, efficient health care, food security, adequate schooling, better living conditions.
“The EFF in Gauteng calls for the donated funds from these people and companies to be redirected to fixing the deplorable road infrastructure and sewage crisis plaguing townships in Gauteng. We cannot be arrested by futile issues such as the repayment of those who paid e-tolls, whilst the province is falling apart,” Dunga said.
Last month, while tabling his medium-term budget policy statement in Parliament, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said national government would take over billions of the SA National Roads Agency’s debt.
Godongwana, during the mid-term budget policy statement, announced bills to transfer R23.736 billion from the national government to Sanral which will pay off government-guaranteed debt as part of a conditional solution to phase one of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP).
The minister announced that Sanral would also get another R3.74bn to be moved from non-toll roads to the GFIP roads.
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