Note to Editors: The following statement was delivered today at the DA’s Federal Head Office, Nkululeko House, by DA Gauteng Premier Candidate, Solly Msimanga. Msimanga was joined by the DA Provincial Leader, John Moodey MPL and DA Shadow Minister of Transport, Manny De Freitas MP
It has become abundantly clear that the failing ANC has intentionally kept the people of Gauteng in the dark about what is really going on with e-Tolls in the province.
Instead of being honest about their plans, David Makhura and the failing ANC have decided to play on the emotions of the people of this province to garner support in the upcoming elections. The failing ANC have marched, established a commission, said many a great thing on various occasions about the scrapping of these tolls – but all this has been an attempt to deceive the people of Gauteng.
While it was widely understood that the e-Toll contract with the Electronic Toll Collection Agency, ETC, was to come to an end in December 2018, the ANC has blatantly lied by not admitting that the contract was in fact already extended and chose instead to act in secret on the matter.
The Electronic Toll Collection confirmed that its contract to manage e-tolls in Gauteng had been already extended in April 2017 and will run until December 2019. This directly contradicts the written reply by the Minister of Transport in September 2016 that the contract would expire on 31st December 2018.
The e-Toll contract was renewed without public knowledge or any public consultation.
Why would the Minister claim in 2017 that the contract expires in 2018 and then renew the contract a mere 6 months later?
It is clear that the failing ANC cannot be trusted.
The failing ANC in Gauteng continued with this deception. Towards the end of last year, Gauteng ANC Deputy Chairperson, Panyaza Lesufi, proclaimed that e-tolls would be scrapped within six months as the party was lobbying President Cyril Ramaphosa on the matter. This was yet another lie.
We have been informed that the ANC Gauteng’s proposal to fund the e-tolls included increased license disk and card renewal fees, and increased traffic fines. As if the people of Gauteng are not already overburdened.
If Lesufi can make such confident statements that are contradictory to the real status and duration of the e-tolls contract, then it is obvious that the ANC has no clear plan on how to deal with the issue of e-tolls, and are simply trying to buy time until after the elections in May, when the issue will again be swept under the carpet.
Since the inception of e-tolls in 2013, the people of Gauteng have made it abundantly clear that they would not support this system. The exceptionally low rate of payment of e-Toll invoices, a mere 29% compliance rate, stands testament to this. The failing ANC have ignored this, and have gone ahead with their plans regardless of the will of the people.
The scrapping of the e-tolls has been the DA’s position since day one. We have always been very vocal about the fact that this tolling system was an unjust taxation on the people of Gauteng who are already at their financial breaking point.
As the DA we stand with the people of Gauteng on this issue. Unlike the failing ANC which has used this issue as a cheap politicking tool. Scrapping e-tolls is a commitment we will fulfill when the people of Gauteng vote for change led by a DA government.
The failing ANC has had plenty of opportunities to set the record straight on the e-toll contract, but have instead kept quiet and continued to keep South Africans in the dark on the status of the contract. The failing ANC has been given too many second chances. It’s now time to for change that only the DA can deliver.
In a down-turned economy that has seen the cost of living sky-rocket, the cancellation of this ANC vanity project would go a long way to offering residents some financial relief.
There is now the option to renew the e-Toll contract until 2021 when it expires in December this year; we cannot be bamboozled by the ANC again.
The DA is committed to switching off the gantries.
When we govern in Gauteng, one of the first things we will do is to lodge an intergovernmental dispute to have this widely rejected and unjust system removed. Failing this, we will take the same route that we did in the Western Cape when the ANC tried to force e-Tolls on our people and dispute this matter in Court.
We are a Party that stands for the will of the people and we will fight to do right by the people of Gauteng.
This e-toll saga has played out for far too long now.
Only the DA can and will stop e-tolls and bring about real change to all those who live in this great province.
This election, the people of Gauteng and South Africa have two choices: either a party that loots and lies; or vote for the DA which keeps its word and puts the people first.