Faizel Patel – 05/03/2021
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) says they are hoping that government makes a final decision to resolve the e-tolls saga.
President Cyril Ramaphosa tasked Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula in March 2019 to resolve the matter by August the same year.
However, with two years that have now passed, the furore over the Gauteng e-toll system has once again surfaced.
In the latest round, Gauteng Transport MEC Jacob Mamabolo has re-affirmed the province’s opposition to the controversial e-tolls system.
Mamabolo stated that the province made a very comprehensive submission to the president and ministers of finance and transport, in which they made a strong case against the e-tolls, which they believe can resolve the e-tolls matter once and for all.
Speaking to Radio Islam, Outa’s Wayne Duvenhage says the public have made their decision about e-tolls for Mbalula.
“They are not paying. A handful of people are paying and the scheme has been brought to its knees. They cannot summons or arrest anybody, obtain default judgments, so the scheme has pretty much collapsed and government is just finding itself to pull the plug finally.”
Duvenhage says it is unlikely that Finance Minister Tito Mboweni will get his way, after he declared that national government has no plans to scrap the e-toll system.
“Tito Mboweni can say what he wants. But it gives one an indication that they don’t comprehend the difference between reality and fiction. You can’t just make a law and think that’s it and everybody will come and everybody will just pay it. They don’t pay if you cannot administer your laws and enforce them.”
Duvenhage says while he is not against the view or the principle of the user pay, the system is just not a user pay scheme that is ever going to work.
Listen to the interview with Wayne Duvenhage
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