More consultations around e-tolls to take place - Mbalula
Fikile Mbalula said Cabinet was busy assessing a number of options for the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project, the project that has as its core a system of e-tolls.
CAPE TOWN - Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has sought to clarify issues around e-tolls.
Mbalula held a media briefing on Thursday following Finance Minister Tito Mboweni's Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement on Wednesday where he encouraged South Africans to pay for using roads.
Roads agency Sanral has battled for years to get road users to pay and has incurred billions of rand in losses.
Mbalula said Cabinet was busy assessing a number of options for the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project, the project that has as its core a system of e-tolls.
The first option is the cancellation of the e-toll system completely.
Another option is the introduction of a hybrid funding model which will see government and motorists contributing.
But Mbalula said Cabinet was still in discussion and would make an announcement in two weeks.
“What happened yesterday is that we tabled the proposals, in particular, the preferred reconfigured approach to the project to Cabinet deliberated on that and decided that we must go back and do some work and report back in two weeks when Cabinet reconvenes.”
He said they were also in discussion with other affected parties like the Gauteng government, which expressed its opposition to e-tolls.
“It includes further engagement with the premier of Gauteng and whoever is of interested and we’ve listened to even in the past.”
