Shilowa rejects call to scrap Gautrain project

Shilowa says there's no conspiracy against Zuma

Mbhazima Shilowa, the Gauteng premier, has brushed aside calls from Parliament's transport portfolio committee to scrap the Gautrain project. Shilowa says he does not think the national government will take the committee's recommendations on board.

"Our view is that the reasons for wanting to have the Gautrain - economic, congestion, road issues, job creation - remain valid and there has been nothing put forward that forces us to challenge the decision and the direction. We have the backing of the national government, we are therefore going ahead," he says.

The committee's report, adopted last week, said the project lacked integration with regional transport plans. The Cabinet is expected to make a decision on the project, predicted to cost R20 billion, before the end of the year.

To hold joint public hearings
Meanwhile, Shilowa says the Gauteng and North West governments are going to hold joint public hearings in the cross-border communities that have been protesting against falling under the North West. "Both the legislatures of Gauteng and the North West will be having public hearings in the areas that are affected, particularly in Merafong, and we hope that whatever decisions they arrive at will be respected by the community."

Residents of Merafong have been engaged in violent protests over proposals to incorporate their area into North West. Shilowa says they will make recommendations on the issue after the hearings at the two legislatures.