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Cape Town - Despite numerous court cases, protests and extensive media coverage, the e-tolls system is set to kick in within just a few hours.
Stories on the controversial e-tolls system made up 40% of coverage on transport-related issues in Gauteng, according to Media Tenor SA.
The analysis conducted by the media research company was based on 3 304 statements on e-tolls in the print media and on television news programmes from January 1 to October 30 this year.
Media Tenor SA researcher Ludene Brown said e-tolls on a take a toll on the ANC in the upcoming elections.
"As the media continues to focus on the political fallout of e-tolls, this could affect the ANC Gauteng support base in next year's elections and further blur the dividing line between government and the ANC," Brown said.
Struck off the roll
A last ditch attempt to stop e-tolls from going live at midnight was scuppered after the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria scrapped the Freedom Front Plus's case off the roll.
Judge Maria Jansen said the party sought wide-reaching relief and failed to make a proper case.
She said the constitutional issues related to the case were complicated and it had implications for the separation of powers.
However, the FF Plus said its battle against e-tolls is not necessarily dead.
FF Plus spokesperson Anton Alberts said the merits of the matter were not heard.
"We are very disappointed... The merits of the case were not heard today. The matter is not necessarily dead."
Act if defiance
Meanwhile, Church leaders vowed that they would not pay toll fees and called on others to do the same.
"We... church leaders have therefore decided to publicly declare our intention to refuse to buy e-tags and to refuse to pay this unjust e-toll," they said in a statement on Monday.
"We call on all other church leaders, members of our churches and all South Africans who support democracy to do the same."
The leaders, including SA Council of Churches president Bishop Jo Seoka, Central Methodist Mission bishop Paul Verryn, and Methodist Church of Southern Africa presiding bishop Zipho Siwa, said the decision had not been easy.
Also on Monday, lawyers representing the SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) threatened legal action following a request for clarification on e-toll prosecutions, said the Justice Project SA (JPSA).
E-toll prosecutions
On Friday, JPSA said it had sent a letter to Sanral CEO Nazir Alli, Transport Minister Dipuo Peters, Justice Minister Jeff Radebe, and national director of public prosecutions Mxolisi Nxasana.
In it, JPSA asked for details of the exact legal and administrative processes to be followed for the collection of e-tolls and against those who did not pay.
If this was not forthcoming by noon on Friday, JPSA said its attorneys would approach the high court for clarity.
A response was sent by Werksmans Attorneys, acting on behalf of Sanral, said JPSA chairperson Howard Dembovsky.
It was told that Sanral was not in a position to clarify matters reported by members of the media, where such clarity should be sought from the reporters concerned.
An outright abuse of process
All the information JPSA sought was contained in the various government gazettes about e-tolls, and should an application be brought to the courts, Sanral would seek a costs award against JPSA, with "such an application... an outright abuse of process".
On Monday, the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) again urged motorists to refrain from buying e-tags.
"There is no law that requires road users to buy an e-tag or register with Sanral in order to use Gauteng's freeways," said Outa chairman Wayne Duvenage.
He said registering would merely make enforcing e-tolling easier, as motorists would be placed on the Sanral system and be bound to a contract to pay for using the tolled freeways.
An unjust system?
"Getting e-tagged also limits the right of road users to object to paying tolls and to resist an unjust system."
On Friday, the marketing research company Ipsos said that in an e-toll survey conducted from October 11 to November 21, four in 10 Gauteng motorists indicated that they might buy e-tags, or already had.
According to the study, only one in 10 drivers in Gauteng (10%) strongly agreed with the statement "I have bought an e-toll tag already or intend to buy one", Ipsos said in a statement.
It said an additional 28% had agreed with the statement.
Stories on the controversial e-tolls system made up 40% of coverage on transport-related issues in Gauteng, according to Media Tenor SA.
The analysis conducted by the media research company was based on 3 304 statements on e-tolls in the print media and on television news programmes from January 1 to October 30 this year.
Media Tenor SA researcher Ludene Brown said e-tolls on a take a toll on the ANC in the upcoming elections.
"As the media continues to focus on the political fallout of e-tolls, this could affect the ANC Gauteng support base in next year's elections and further blur the dividing line between government and the ANC," Brown said.
Struck off the roll
A last ditch attempt to stop e-tolls from going live at midnight was scuppered after the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria scrapped the Freedom Front Plus's case off the roll.
Judge Maria Jansen said the party sought wide-reaching relief and failed to make a proper case.
She said the constitutional issues related to the case were complicated and it had implications for the separation of powers.
However, the FF Plus said its battle against e-tolls is not necessarily dead.
FF Plus spokesperson Anton Alberts said the merits of the matter were not heard.
"We are very disappointed... The merits of the case were not heard today. The matter is not necessarily dead."
Act if defiance
Meanwhile, Church leaders vowed that they would not pay toll fees and called on others to do the same.
"We... church leaders have therefore decided to publicly declare our intention to refuse to buy e-tags and to refuse to pay this unjust e-toll," they said in a statement on Monday.
"We call on all other church leaders, members of our churches and all South Africans who support democracy to do the same."
The leaders, including SA Council of Churches president Bishop Jo Seoka, Central Methodist Mission bishop Paul Verryn, and Methodist Church of Southern Africa presiding bishop Zipho Siwa, said the decision had not been easy.
Also on Monday, lawyers representing the SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) threatened legal action following a request for clarification on e-toll prosecutions, said the Justice Project SA (JPSA).
E-toll prosecutions
On Friday, JPSA said it had sent a letter to Sanral CEO Nazir Alli, Transport Minister Dipuo Peters, Justice Minister Jeff Radebe, and national director of public prosecutions Mxolisi Nxasana.
In it, JPSA asked for details of the exact legal and administrative processes to be followed for the collection of e-tolls and against those who did not pay.
If this was not forthcoming by noon on Friday, JPSA said its attorneys would approach the high court for clarity.
A response was sent by Werksmans Attorneys, acting on behalf of Sanral, said JPSA chairperson Howard Dembovsky.
It was told that Sanral was not in a position to clarify matters reported by members of the media, where such clarity should be sought from the reporters concerned.
An outright abuse of process
All the information JPSA sought was contained in the various government gazettes about e-tolls, and should an application be brought to the courts, Sanral would seek a costs award against JPSA, with "such an application... an outright abuse of process".
On Monday, the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) again urged motorists to refrain from buying e-tags.
"There is no law that requires road users to buy an e-tag or register with Sanral in order to use Gauteng's freeways," said Outa chairman Wayne Duvenage.
He said registering would merely make enforcing e-tolling easier, as motorists would be placed on the Sanral system and be bound to a contract to pay for using the tolled freeways.
An unjust system?
"Getting e-tagged also limits the right of road users to object to paying tolls and to resist an unjust system."
On Friday, the marketing research company Ipsos said that in an e-toll survey conducted from October 11 to November 21, four in 10 Gauteng motorists indicated that they might buy e-tags, or already had.
According to the study, only one in 10 drivers in Gauteng (10%) strongly agreed with the statement "I have bought an e-toll tag already or intend to buy one", Ipsos said in a statement.
It said an additional 28% had agreed with the statement.
