Venaani urges public to reject toll roads

The introduction of tolls on public roads will rob Namibians of their hard-earned money, Popular Democratic Movement leader McHenry Venaani said on Wednesday.

“We can not allow e-tolls to be implemented. No Namibian can ever afford e-tolls – we are already paying highly on petrol, so PDM says no to e-tolls,” Venaani told journalists.

FollowingCabinetapprovalforconsultations regarding toll gates, preparations are being made to impose tolls on the nation’s roadways.

The Road Fund Administration (RFA) is expected to return to seek implementation approval after these consultations.

RFA CEO Ali Ipinge recently told journalist that a study was conducted and Cabinet has given approval for public consultations planned for the next six months.

“It is, therefore, not a foregone conclusion that implementation will take place,” Ipinge said.

He added the administration currently collects only about N$2.4 billion per year from road users, while the funding gap stands at N$2.5 billion.

He said the number of vehicles on the roads increased massively in recent years hence the need for tolls as a revenue alternative.

However, Venaani said no Namibians would afford tolls, adding that tollgates are not going to be worthy to any Namibian.

“South Africans rejected e-tolls, and they’re about to debunk them. We are calling on all motorists, including the prime minister and transport minister, to really reject tolls,” he said.

He added although the country is credited with having good roads internationally, when you go to rural roads like those in Otjombinde, Aroab, Otjinene, Aminuis or anywhere in Namibia, the roads are among the worst in the world.

PDM targets teens

Venaani added that since youth will have an impact on the 2024 election, the party would focus on recruiting current 16-year-olds.

“We have put all our machinery to work to attract millennials going to the 2024 elections. For the first time, we are going to mobilise 16-year olds this year to become fully-fledged members of the party because by the time they turn 18 in 2024, they would be the determiner in that year’s elections,” Venaani said.

Furthermore, Venaani said, he will have a cup of tea with all opposition leaders to work on a win-win formula to get “back our country”.

“The chances that are presented to us now are the best to get rid of Swapo regime,” he said.

“We need to remove the regime so that we can set policy framework that will work for us,” he added.

He said nations like Malawi, Kenya and Lesotho all have new governments as a result of coalition agreements.