The Federation of Unions of South Africa (FEDUSA) welcomes the delinking of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Scheme e-tolls from gantries on 11 April 2024.
The introduction of e-tolls was met with opposition that led to motorists refusing to pay for the e-tolls. The e-tolls were expensive and a burden to motorists, who were already struggling with high fuel costs and other road expenses. E-tolls were introduced in December 2013 as a system to collect money for the funds used for the Gauteng highway improvement project and to fund future projects.
Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga said motorists are still expected to pay their outstanding debts after the gantries have been switched off. It is unreasonable to hold citizens responsible for payments based on a system that was admitted as having never been implemented and imposed on them without proper consultations. Therefore, FEDUSA calls on the government to scrap all e-toll debt.
The federation reiterates the importance of public participation in policy matters and calls for transparency on all matters.
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