President Ramaphosa 'urgently' looking into e-tolls, says Makhura

18th February 2019 By: African News Agency

 President Ramaphosa 'urgently' looking into e-tolls, says Makhura

Photo by: Creamer Media

Gauteng Premier David Makhura on Monday again assured residents in the province that the unwanted e-tolling system was receiving attention from national government.

"While the user-pay principle is not in question, there is clear recognition that urban tolling increases the cost of living and is therefore unsustainable," said Makhura.

"Proceeding from this consensus, 21 government teams are hard at work to find a solution to the e-tolls. President [Cyril] Ramaphosa has just reassured me again that the resolution of the e-tolls matter is one of the issues that are receiving his urgent national attention."

Makhura and fellow African National Congress (ANC) provincial leaders led a march to the Union Buildings in Pretoria late last year protesting against e-tolls. He told the mainly ANC supporters that e-tolls are not wanted in Gauteng as long as the governing party is in charge.

In January, Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) denied that its Gauteng e-toll contract with the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) has been renewed as alleged by the Democratic Alliance's Solly Msimang. The ETC said the contract was extended and not renewed, as per the provisions of the contract entered into between the parties in 2009.