Cosatu has welcomed a call by the African National Congress (ANC) in Gauteng reiterating its stance in favour of the scrapping of e-tolls.
This follows remarks by Finance Minister Tito Mboweni during his maiden mid-term budget speech on Wednesday, when he urged motorists to pay their e-toll bills.
Gauteng Premier and ANC provincial chairperson David Makhura reacted by restating their opposition to e-tolls – amid an ongoing public outcry for the scrapping of the system.
Speaking during a media briefing in Johannesburg on Sunday, Cosatu’s Gauteng Secretary, Dumisani Dakile, also announced a march on Friday against e-tolls.
He says: “The electorate in Gauteng have joined Cosatu in demonstrating their rejection of the e-tolls. We are encouraged that in the alliance there is a convergence in the rejection of the e-tolls in favour of the public transport system.
“We applaud the stand that’s been taken by the ANC in this province and its premier in Gauteng. We will support him in defending the interests of our economy and its people. We have filed Section 77 for a stay-away on the 2nd of November (Friday) for a march to deliver a memorandum to the President in Tshwane,” Dakile says.
“This will be a protected strike and we will also have a campaign monthly, starting from this month to highlight challenges faced by our members regarding the public transport system. We will fight until the end of the system to be scrapped. We are calling upon our members and public to join Cosatu and its alliance partners on Friday as we take the march to the highest office of the country to resolve this matter amicably,” adds Dakile.
Since the inception of e-tolls there have been mixed feelings about them. Wayne Duvanage is from the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA).
