E-toll gantries to be used for fighting crime
While e-tolls will come to an end soon, the Gauteng government says the existing infrastructure will be used for crime-fighting.
FILE: An e-tolls gantry on the highway in Gauteng. Picture: Abigail Javier/Eyewitness News
JOHANNESBURG - The African National Congress (ANC) in Gauteng says the scrapping of the e-tolls in the province is an indication that the provincial government listens to the grievances of its residents.
On Thursday, the transport department officially gazetted the withdrawal of the declaration.
This comes years after public resistance against the project, which has now accumulated a R43 million debt for the province.
The ANC provincial government said it was working on plans to repurpose the infrastructure to be used for crime prevention.
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It said using e-tolls to combat crime fitted into the Gauteng government's plans to use technology to deal with the rife crime levels in the province.
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse's (OUTA) Wayne Duvenage said this was a victory for Gauteng motorists.
"I think finally sanity has prevailed. Government should have taken this decision a long time ago. We could always see that the scheme was going to fail, but congratulations to the public who stood their ground."
Duvenage said this was a moment worth celebrating as it will brought relief to motorists.