Gloves off in Winelands toll saga
A clash of ideology between Sanral and the Democratic Alliance (DA) about the Winelands toll road project gained steam on Thursday when the two bodies argued over the impact it would have on the agriculture sector in the Western Cape.
“Once again, the DA got it plain wrong on the toll roads in and around Cape Town,” said national roads agency Sanral's CEO Nazir Alli.
“Beverly Schäfer, its [the DA's] provincial spokesperson on agriculture, claims that the proposed Winelands toll road project will have devastating consequences resulting in job losses and increased poverty in the agriculture sector,” it said in a statement on Thursday.
“This is a misconception and incorrect,” said Alli.
“The upgrades to the roads, the net savings and benefits to farmers are positive even after payment of the toll tariffs,” he said. “Better roads reduce congestion, fuel consumption, wear and tear on vehicles, the chances of accidents, and journey times.”
DA: Sanral is trying to steamroll South Africans
In response, Schäfer told Fin24 on Thursday that “Sanral is again trying to steamroll South Africans by imposing toll roads on the poorest of the poor”.
“It is quite ironic that Sanral is trying to attack me, when the facts actually come from their own reports. Maybe they should read them in more detail,” said Schäfer, who is a member of the Western Cape provincial parliament and committee chair of Economic Opportunities, Tourism and Agriculture.
Schäfer said on April 20 that the Western Cape would have to pay three times more than Gauteng residents to drive on the N1 and N2 in the Winelands, which Sanral slammed as “false”, saying that “the toll tariffs have not been set”.
Schäfer responded: “It would be very interesting to see these numbers, but the truth is, that no one has them [as he said above]… We believe that his claim to a net savings is a bluff.”
Sanral: DA will cause transport crisis
The DA and Schäfer’s view will result in a transport crisis in the Western Cape, Sanral claimed.
“It will place an enormous burden on the poorest of the poor, destroy jobs, hamper movement and cripple the regional economy,” Sanral argued.
“Schäfer neglects to mention two important issues around tolls. First, most Cape Town commuters will not pay tolls. Second, there are many diversions around the two urban plazas,” said Alli.
“Without the upgrades the cost of driving and transporting goods would be higher than with the upgraded and tolled roads. This will increase costs to all sectors of the Western Cape economy.”
"Sanral is mandated and has an obligation to providing safely engineered national roads for the country. The current electricity crisis highlights the importance of maintaining, upgrading and expanding critical infrastructure. Roads are similar and need regular maintenance and upgrades."
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