The Democratic Alliance (DA) is demanding that a debate on what it calls the failed e-tolls system in Gauteng continues as scheduled in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Thursday.
The DA says it has learnt that the matter has been cancelled following Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula’s promise that a solution to the controversial scheme is close.
The party’s NCOP member for Finance, Dennis Ryder says in 2019, President Cyril Ramaphosa established a task team headed by Mbalula to resolve the impasse on the e-tolls.
Ryder says since then, three deadlines have passed without a result or an acknowledgement by Mbalula.
He says the DA is demanding answers on the ill-advised, poorly planned and massively expensive financial disaster.
Legal framework
In March, the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) announced that it was planning to implement a new legal framework, to ensure motorists pay their e-toll bills.
This would mean motorists travelling on Gauteng freeways who fail to pay their e-toll bills may soon end up receiving hefty fines or having their vehicle license disk renewals blocked.
However, civil organisations and legal experts say it is just a pipe-dream, as Sanral’s e-toll system has too many legal flaws for it to become a reality.
VIDEO: A look at how the E-tolls saga unfolded:
