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Johannesburg - The African National Congress on Wednesday said it hoped Gauteng motorists would be more open to the e-tolling system after it was announced that the fees had been reduced.
Spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said the revised prices struck a balance between the needs of Gauteng's residents and the imperative of developing the South African society and economy through large-scale infrastructure projects.
"The ANC further commends the retention of important principles such as the user-pays principle, maintaining South Africa’s credit worthiness and promoting decongestion on freeways in the country’s economic hub," Kodwa said.
Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday said the e-toll fees for light motor vehicles would be cut from 58c/km to 30c/km.
The monthly cap for e-toll fees would be “dramatically reduced” from R450 a month to R225, he said, briefing the media on the new dispensation for the electronic tolling of Gauteng’s freeways.
“Revised caps will also be introduced to other categories of vehicles and what have you. But here we are focusing on the bulk of users, which are light motor vehicles," he said.
Public transport would remain exempt from paying e-tolls. There would also be no charge for people who made less than 30 gantry passes a year.
The new dispensation of more e-toll gantries would be implemented in phases. The new cap and revised tariffs would start in the next two to three months.
Following the rejection of the system by many motorists and businesses, Gauteng Premier David Makhura established a panel last year to assess the social and economic impact of e-tolls.
'The people have been heard'
It was tasked with examining the economic and social impact of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project and the electronic tolling system set up to fund it. One of its findings was that the system placed a disproportionate burden on the low- and middle-income groups.
Kodwa said concerns raised during the panel hearings were addressed. "The people have been heard, and government has responded positively," he said.
The Democratic Alliance disagreed.
"Today’s announcement shows how the e-tolls advisory panel was a betrayal of the people of Gauteng," the party said in a statement.
"The people said scrap e-tolls, but the ANC has said e-tolls are here to stay."
The DA highlighted that those with outstanding e-toll fees would have to pay them when renewing their vehicle licences and that non-payers would be tracked using the Financial Intelligence Centre Act when vehicles were registered.
Monthly caps on fees would double if the toll bills were not settled within 30 days. There would also be no amnesty for anyone currently in arrears.
The DA called on Gauteng motorists to resist the system.
"The DA have shown where we govern how e-tolls can be defeated. Through court action, the City of Cape Town is steadily beating back Sanral's plans to roll out e-tolls in the city," the party said.
The Congress of the People said the fact that the fees had been reduced had proved it was right in its view that the fees placed too much strain on Gauteng's economy.
"The fact that government has now been able to slash the tariff by almost 50% and totally exempt all public transport vehicles from tolling, indicates that the public was right all along about someone somewhere creaming huge profits from e-tolling," said Cope spokesperson, Dennis Bloem.
He said had government and Sanral consulted the public from the beginning, the system would have been better managed.
Cope believed the government should still find other ways of mitigating toll costs, considering the economic hardships people faced.
