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Last month, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula told MPs during the debate on the state of the nation address that the government will finalize the issue of electronic tolls by the end of the financial year.
FILE: Gauteng MEC Jacob Mamabolo Road and Public Transport Infrastructure. Image: Radio 702.
JOHANNESBURG – Gauteng’s MEC for Road Infrastructure and Public Transport, Jacob Mamabolo, said on Wednesday that the province was already heavily overrun and could not afford to sustain the controversial electronic toll system.
Last month, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula told members of Parliament during the debate on the state of the nation address that the government would finalize the issue of electronic tolls by the end of the financial year.
OBSERVE: The Gauteng government rejects the implementation of electronic tolls
The controversial user payment system was launched on the roads of Gauteng on December 3, 2013, despite civil disobedience campaigns, marches and protests.
More than seven years later, the porches are still standing, but many motorists refuse to cough from driving under them.
The African National Congress in Gauteng has voiced its opinion on the elimination of the toll system and has submitted a proposal to the national government outlining what it claims is a viable financial alternative to finance the roads.
Mamabolo said that under no circumstances should motorists be allowed to pay only for improved roads.
“Why should this be a burden only to Gauteng residents on three national highways that are the backbone of the economy? In reality, these electronic tolls weren’t even necessary in the first place. “
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