Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has welcomed the nationwide scrapping of the E-toll system. He says the gantries will remain functional to support the province’s crime fighting efforts.
Addressing the media in Centurion, Lesufi says the province has set aside R4 billion to go towards road maintenance in the province over the next 5 years.
“We need these cameras, all these cameras are crucial in fighting crime, tracking missing cars or tracking lost goods. We want the offices or kiosks of Sanral that are in our malls, in our highways, we want to use them for DNT services, but also we run Nasi Ispani, we don’t want the workers that were dealing with this issue of E-tolls to lose their jobs after midnight.”
[WATCH]: Premier @Lesufi welcomes government’s resolution to scrap e-tolls. At midnight on 11 April 2024 #etolls will be a thing of the past in @GautengProvince and motorists will no longer have to pay.#GrowingGautengTogether pic.twitter.com/AGYZr7gbRJ
— Gauteng Provincial Gov (@GautengProvince) April 10, 2024
Lesufi says the process to get to the agreement with Sanral was not easy.
“It was unthinkable, unbelievable and unachievable. When we started the debates and the discussions to finally switch off the E-tolls, others though that we were dreaming and others labelled us as people who were making promises that can’t be achieved. I vividly remember when I tabled the State of the Province Address, I made a commitment about the 31st of March this year, E-tolls will be history. Some publications ran stories that it was not going to be possible. I am excited Minister that after those intense, difficult and painful negotiations, we stand on the side of history.”
