OUTA assess appeal of e-toll interdict

OUTA’s chairperson, Wayne Duvenage explains that “OUTA’s legal team is assessing the affidavits and is preparing responses to defend the appeal.”  Duvenage goes on to say “OUTA is disappointed by Governments decision to appeal, as by doing so they have clearly indicated their desire to press on with SANRAL’s inefficient and unjustified e-tolling plans, as the chosen mechanism to raise funds to service the GFIP debt.” If e-tolling of GFIP is allowed to happen, this will become the precedent for all future urban road infrastructure upgrades throughout SA and motorists will be forced to pay very high fees to partially fund the infrastructure costs as well as the extremely costly administration processes proposed by SANRAL.

Over the past two weeks, the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (OUTA) have had three meetings with MEC Ishmail Vadi, the second of these included (and chaired by) ANC SG – Gwede Mantashi, to discuss and explore our understanding of each other’s views on the best funding mechanisms for GFIP.  Duvenage says “At our last meeting with the MEC Vadi, we believed there was an improved understanding by them of OUTA’s reasons and rational for questioning the inefficiencies and unacceptably high costs of e-tolling. It is against this backdrop of having meaningful discussions to find a solution that we express our disappointment with government’s decisions to appeal the interdict and press on with the legal case.”