Minister of Transport Sibusiso “S’bu” Ndebele has announced that the current toll fees proposed for the Gauteng e-toll system have been frozen. This after he met with “mama action” Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane. According to the Minister, a task team will be appointed as soon as possible to relook at the cost structure following a wide public outcry regarding the system.
The current price Gauteng motorists would have expected to pay when the e-tolls come into play in June is about 66 cents per kilometre travelled. So a motorist living in Jozi and working in Pretoria, or vice versa, would end up paying about R1 200 extra per month in toll fees, just to travel from home to work and back. This amount excludes weekends.
Freeways affected include the N1, N12, N3, R21 and M1, effectively covering the triangle that puts Jozi at the centre of things. Ndebele was heavily criticised last week after the said motorists who do not want to pay have alternatives in buses, trains and taxis. We know for sure that taxis will pass on the taxes down to consumers by raising their fares, thus negating that idea. His comments reminded one of the famous “let them eat cake” pronouncements incorrectly attributed to Marie Antoinette who allegedly said them about starving peasants in 18th century Paris.
Another criticism levelled against them is that the companies involved in constructing them are foreign, with up to 85% of profits to be sent overseas, according to a report by City Press newspaper.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SKYSCRAPERCITY.COM
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