The Gauteng provincial government has been calling for the scrapping of e-tolls and cancellation of e-toll debts, telling everyone who cared to listen that they have a solution to Sanral’s e-toll debt.
Ahead of 2021 local government elections, then MEC for roads and infrastructure Jacob Mamabolo announced that an agreement has been reached with national transport department to scrap e-tolls after a solution was presented to whoever at national level and an announcement would be made, but it was never made.
When treasury announced the scrapping of e-tolls late last month, with Gauteng to settle 30% of Sanral’s debt, everyone expected the provincial government to announce its plan to settle its portion of the debt, assuming discussions occurred prior to National Treasury’s announcement.
To everyone’s surprise, the premier announced that Gauteng motorists will come with the plan, and later said that an announcement will be made by year-end. If the solution to e-tolls has repeatedly been presented to whoever at national level, why then does it take three months to present such a solution to the motorists?
Interestingly, Mamabolo is now MEC for finance, and he must source funds to pay their portion of Sanral’s debt, secure funds for the maintenance of the tolled roads, and refund motorists who have been paying e-tolls.
Recently, the premier requested a solution (read cancellation) to Soweto residents’ electricity debt, without revealing the source to fund such a solution, and what will happen to previously non- paying and paying residents after such a solution.
Expectations are that, if the provincial government has repeatedly called for the scrapping of e-tolls and it happened, the solution to electricity debt might also happen. With all these calls by authorities encouraging nonpayment for services, in the long run, it’ll collapse local government, as no one will be prepared to pay for services, with the source of funding nonpayment habits hard to get.
Phepisi Radipere, GaRamokadi-kadi, Limpopo
READER LETTER | Gauteng bluffing about solution for e-tolls debt
Image: Daniel Born
The Gauteng provincial government has been calling for the scrapping of e-tolls and cancellation of e-toll debts, telling everyone who cared to listen that they have a solution to Sanral’s e-toll debt.
Ahead of 2021 local government elections, then MEC for roads and infrastructure Jacob Mamabolo announced that an agreement has been reached with national transport department to scrap e-tolls after a solution was presented to whoever at national level and an announcement would be made, but it was never made.
When treasury announced the scrapping of e-tolls late last month, with Gauteng to settle 30% of Sanral’s debt, everyone expected the provincial government to announce its plan to settle its portion of the debt, assuming discussions occurred prior to National Treasury’s announcement.
To everyone’s surprise, the premier announced that Gauteng motorists will come with the plan, and later said that an announcement will be made by year-end. If the solution to e-tolls has repeatedly been presented to whoever at national level, why then does it take three months to present such a solution to the motorists?
Interestingly, Mamabolo is now MEC for finance, and he must source funds to pay their portion of Sanral’s debt, secure funds for the maintenance of the tolled roads, and refund motorists who have been paying e-tolls.
Recently, the premier requested a solution (read cancellation) to Soweto residents’ electricity debt, without revealing the source to fund such a solution, and what will happen to previously non- paying and paying residents after such a solution.
Expectations are that, if the provincial government has repeatedly called for the scrapping of e-tolls and it happened, the solution to electricity debt might also happen. With all these calls by authorities encouraging nonpayment for services, in the long run, it’ll collapse local government, as no one will be prepared to pay for services, with the source of funding nonpayment habits hard to get.
Phepisi Radipere, GaRamokadi-kadi, Limpopo
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