'We’ve heard this before': OUTA on Panyaza's promise to scrap e-tolls
OUTA CEO Wayne Duvenage said he’s shocked at the government's failure to implement its own decision as it has consistently failed to meet deadlines.
FILE: An e-tolls gantry on the highway in Gauteng. Picture: Abigail Javier/Eyewitness News
JOHANNESBURG - The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) said Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi continued to bait residents with the promise of scrapping e-tolls.
During his State of the Province Address (SOPA) on Tuesday, Lesufi announced the e-toll gantries in Gauteng would officially start being switched off and delinked in March.
READ: Lesufi sets deadline for scrapping of e-tolls in Gauteng
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced in 2022 that a new financing mechanism would replace the failed toll scheme.
Godongwana said at the time that national government would assume 70% of the debt, with the remaining 30% left for the provincial government.
OUTA CEO Wayne Duvenage said he’s shocked at the government's failure to implement its own decision.
"Look, we’ve heard this before, we’d like to be pleasantly surprised but there have been many deadlines, they have missed every single deadline and this is just another one."
Duvenage said Lesufi also flaunted the possibility of refunding more than R6 billion to motorists who had already paid for e-tolls.
"There’s a lot of confusion. This is a South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) road and now we hear the province is going to maintain them. We need clarity on how does that asset transfer works so we’d have to get clarity from the province in terms of how they are going to finance this."