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Cape Town - The Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) has again called on the minister of transport to establish an independent body to look into what it regards as the lack of a strong approach by Sanral to hold construction companies to account for alleged collusive practices during the construction of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP).
For the past eighteen months Outa has raised concern about the issue, said Outa chair Wayne Duvenage at the organisation's annual general meeting on Thursday.
In the light of the ongoing Gauteng e-toll saga, Outa has in the past gone as far as to submit a letter to Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, asking for a social audit of the SA National Roads Agency (Sanral).
READ: Fewer and fewer motorists pay e-tolls - Outa
"Again, I reiterate that we have no wish to see the demise of Sanral, but rather that it is better enabled to discharge its public mandate with greater efficiency," said Duvenage.
"As I stated in my chairperson's report of last year, it remains Outa's opinion that SA's cabinet and senior government leaders were 'sold' a most grandiose, ambitious and largely unworkable plan by Sanral, to extract funds from motorists for repayment of a social infrastructure upgrade, through the implementation of an irrational e-toll scheme."
Furthermore, Outa remains convinced that due to the context and nature of SA's social and economic challenges, the GFIP bonds ought to be settled using general taxes and fuel levies.
Outa awaits the authority's announcement of new plans regarding the Gauteng e-toll system, but remains convinced it will be unsuccessful even if tasked to only collect half the revenue required.
"Furthermore, the suggestion of additional levies on local vehicle license fees will produce further unintended consequences, one of which will be the loss of vehicle license revenue to the Gauteng Province," said Duvenage.
"Once again we say there is an easier way, by making use of the existing policy of the fuel levy or taxation to fund this part of Sanral's work."
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