Note to Editors: Please find an Afrikaans soundbite here, and an English soundbite here
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng calls on the National Department of Transport to start the process of writing off all unpaid e-toll debts with immediate effect.
In its entirety, e-toll debts are being repaid between the Gauteng Provincial – and National Government. Additionally, all maintenance arrears are being repaid. Historic e-toll debt collection is yet another ill-fated enterprise cooked up in the premier’s office to save some face as his vanity project turned out to be, as is usually the case, a colossal failure.
The fact that between the Gauteng Government and National Government all e-toll debts are being repaid, as well as the fact that maintenance arrears are being covered, makes it unnecessary, and ill-conceived to go after historic e-toll debt at all.
The question must have been asked who will own the e-toll debtors’ book if the debts are not written off? It would be unjust to give the debts to SANRAL after its debts are settled by the national and provincial governments.
One man’s vanity project has now, once more, become millions of South Africans problem.
At the moment Gauteng residents are already encumbered with the almost R14 billion e-toll debt that the Gauteng government must settle. It is unfair to burden them more than they have already been with an ill-conceived money-making scheme, that was a failure from the first gantry went up, to when they were switched off.
Moreover, government’s inability to collect arrears, will have disastrous consequences for all involved. They were unsuccessful in implementing e-tolls, and they will be unsuccessful in attempting to collect any arrears.
All historic e-toll debt must be scrapped alongside every single gantry.