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End of e-toll debacle is nigh - Outa

Cape Town - No matter what the review report says, e-tolls has effectively failed to meet its objectives and cannot continue as a method of financing the Gauteng roads upgrade, said civil action group Outa.

Wayne Duvenage, chairperson of the the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance told Fin24 on Sunday it seemed South Africans would have to wait till next year for the findings of the e-tolls review report, "by which time the e-toll payment compliance rate would have dropped well below 30%".

The e-toll advisory panel, which was established by Premier David Makhura in July, with the mandate of assessing the socio-economic impact of e-tolls in the province handed over its report to the premier on Sunday.

The panel, which was made up of experts from various fields, conducted consultations with those affected by the e-tolls - both directly and indirectly - including state institutions, organised labour, business, civil society formations, political parties and the public.

The purpose of these consultations was to solicit new views on the economic, social and environmental impacts of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) and e-tolls.

"The establishment of this panel was a direct response to the cries of people. As a caring and responsive government, we felt duty bound to take appropriate action to address the concerns of the people," Makhura said in a statement on Sunday.

Duvenage said that if indeed the overwhelming input from all sectors of society rejecting the system was taken seriously, and if the current "unworkability issues" were taken into account, Outa believed the panel would be hard pressed to give the system the green light.  


"Any policy that is unenforceable and as inefficient and grossly expensive as the e-tolls, will never have the required support from society, which makes it defunct and useless as a user pays scheme.

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"The end of the e-toll debacle is nigh and the sooner the authorities come to their senses on this matter, the sooner we can move on," Duvenage said.

The panel's report will be tabled to the Executive Council, which will then consider the findings and recommendations and decide on appropriate actions.

Makhura said as this was a public process, the panel's report will be released to the public at an appropriate time.

"We have to allow the Executive Council to consider it and engage with the other spheres of government on the way forward," Makhura said.

The decision of the Executive Council will be announced early in the new year.

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