By Hajira Khota
07:09:2021

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in Gauteng has given Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula an ultimatum to announce the elimination of e-tolls in the province as soon as possible.

If the declaration goes unanswered by the end of September, (COSATU) has warned that it will be forced to demonstrate on the day of the local government elections.

Elections are currently set for October 27, 2021; however, judicial proceedings are underway to push the date back to 2022.

Radio Islam International interviewed Amos Monyela, COSATU Gauteng Provincial Chair, who said, “Minister Mbalula isn’t going to make an announcement beneficial to our calls for by the tip of September, COSATU in Gauteng might be left with no choice however to protest on Election Day”.

The trade federation also criticised deputy Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga for saying in an interview that motorists should pay their e-toll fees. Despite strong opposition to e-tolls, Chikunga stated that Gauteng motorists would have to continue paying.

She also compared e-tolls to fees imposed on cars in the 1700s to fund the country’s road system. She believes that South Africans would have to pay for the toll system in some form.

Monyela expressed disappointment with the deputy minister’s remarks, believing that they revealed how little she understood the reasons behind the rejection of the road user-pay scheme.

The deputy minister has revealed her lack of knowledge of the reasons behind Gauteng’s rejection of the road user-pays system, COSATU stated, describing the deputy minister’s remarks as poor.

For the time being, motorists are waiting for a decision. President Cyril Ramaphosa had directed Mbalula and Gauteng transport officials to find a solution to the problem.

However, there is a back-and-forth between the Treasury and the Department of Transport, resulting in the government missing its deadline for announcing the future of e-tolls.

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