Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

3-minute read
03 March 2024 | 10:00 CAT

Outa has been one of the staunchest critics of e-tolls. File image. Photo/ TimesLIVE

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA), the DA and new kid-on-the-block, Rise Mzansi, have all threatened Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi over his failed promise to scrap e-tolls.

Reports indicate that the Gauteng provincial government, led by Lesufi, plans to continue to collect revenue from motorists despite a promise to end the failed system.

Lesufi, in his Gauteng State of the Province Address (Sopa) on 19 February, had said e-tolls would be phased out by the end of next month.

However, Mampho Modise, deputy director-general of public finance at National Treasury, revealed in an interview with Moneyweb that the Gauteng provincial government would continue to collect outstanding debt from road users.

Reacting to the ensuing confusion, the CEO of the civil action organisation, Wayne Duvenage, said that the organisation would defend motorists against the government.

Out of questions, Modise’s statement calls it confusing since e-toll debt by motorists is collected by Sanral and not the Gauteng provincial government.

“What makes the threat of going after those with outstanding e-toll debts more confusing is that Sanral stopped issuing summonses against e-toll defaulters in 2019, and most of this debt has now prescribed,” says Duvenage.

Out of said, those in government intent on dragging out the e-toll matter had forgotten the test court case between Sanral and Outa supporters for summonses issued for outstanding e-toll debt, which remained in limbo.

Since February 2019, Outa lawyers have defended 2,028 cases on behalf of e-toll defaulters who received summonses from Sanral, with a total value of more than R262m.

In an open letter to Lesufi this week, Rise Mzansi’s Gauteng Premier candidate, Vuyiswa Ramokgopa, demanded the release of all records on e-tolls to the public within seven days. He added that should the Premier fail to scrap the e-tolls by the end of next month, he ought to resign.

The DA in the province has also come out strongly against Lesufi for his ‘deceitful’ pronouncement about e-tolls, with Gauteng provincial shadow MEC of roads and logistics, Fred Nel, saying R12.9 billion to pay the debt was worrying.

Listen to the full interview on The Daily Round Up with Moulana Junaid Kharsany and CEO of the civil action organisation, Wayne Duvenage, Here.