Parliament statement on e-tolls ‘spin doctoring at its worst’‚ Outa says

Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance chairman Wayne Duvenage
Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance chairman Wayne Duvenage
A Parliament statement saying the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) “is not opposed to e-tolling” is a “fabrication to try inject some degree of legitimacy to a defunct scheme”.

Outa said it is lodging a “formal complaint with the chairman of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport‚ as well as the Parliamentary Ethics Committee‚ seeking an apology and retraction of elements within the misleading statement” released on Tuesday.

That statement – headlined “OUTA not opposed to e-tolls‚ Committee on Transport hears” – said Outa was not against e-tolling “as people need to pay in order to have good road infrastructure”.

“Mr Wayne Duwenage‚ Outa chairperson‚ told the committee that Outa supported the user-pay-principle but there was a lack of consultation when the e-toll system was introduced.

“The acting chairperson of the committee‚ Mr Leonard Ramatlakane‚ welcomed Outa’s position and said there seemed to be general agreement on the necessity for improved and well-maintained infrastructure.”

Outa’s Wayne Duvenage said it “is astonished and incensed” at “Ramatlakane’s sanction of the statement”‚ and described it as “utter misinformation and spin doctoring at its worst”.

“I stated at the outset of Outa’s presentation that we are not opposed to the fact that all infrastructure must ultimately be paid for by society‚” said Duvenage.

“It’s a fact of life that people’s taxes in one form or another are used to pay for all infrastructure. I made this point so as to dispel the myth and comments often directed at us‚ that ‘Outa wants the roads for free’‚ which is clearly not the case.”

Outa’s statement said Duvenage gave a slide presentation on “why the e-toll scheme has failed and our views as to why this is so‚ along with our opinion that the fuel levy made sense as an alternative to the fund the Gauteng freeway upgrade”.

Duvenage said he also “highlighted to the committee that caution should be exercised when considering the recently proposed amendments to the Aarto regulations”.

“Our concern on the proposed Aarto amendments‚ is the attempt to include e-toll non-payment as a traffic infringement with which to withhold vehicle license renewals. If passed‚ we believe Government will indirectly be providing the motoring public with every right to carry the e-toll tax revolt into the vehicle licensing tax arena”‚ he added.

Duvenage had come under attack during his presentation from African National Congress (ANC) MPs who said Outa failed to provide alternatives to e-tolling and for protecting the interests of the rich and not the poor.

ANC MP Patrick Sibande said Outa was encouraging people not to pay‚ but at the same time saying they are not opposed to the user-pay principle.

“That is contradiction number one. They say they are not opposing‚ but they are instructing people not to pay. I thought you were going to use this opportunity well. Give us a tangible alternative. Don’t just criticise. In your first input you said you’re concerned about the business‚ but you are not concerned about the poor. You’re not covering the poor‚” said Sibande.

Duvenage later said was it was “unfortunate” that Sibande interpreted his point that “the exempt taxi community‚ of which 46000 taxis who were issued with e-tags‚ had shunned the system by not fitting these tags to qualify for the exemption…to mean Outa does not want the taxis to be exempt from tolls”.

“He clearly didn’t get the message of the point we were making‚ and went on to say we were not concerned about the poor‚ which is far from the truth.”

ANC MP Sibusiso Radebe had also taken a swipe at Duvenage.

“The issue of a proposed fuel levy has been explored. All other toll gates we have in South Africa are user-pay. Those taxis that are exempted are used by black people — the poorest of the poor. Are we simply saying that people should not subsidise those who are poor? Ss that what you’re trying to say?” asked Radebe.

Democratic Alliance MP Manny de Freitas said after the meeting that they remained convinced that e-tolls should be scrapped with immediate effect.

“Compliance rates are now estimated at a meagre 10%. As it stands the collection of e-tolls is administratively burdensome and expensive as opposed to e-toll payments funded through the fuel levy which is easy and costs nothing to collect‚” said De Freitas.

subscribe

Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.