Appeal to lift secrecy on tolls
THE CITY of Cape Town is cautiously optimistic that the Supreme Court of Appeal will uphold its appeal to make crucial information about the controversial Winelands toll project public.
Brett Herron, mayoral committee member for Transport for Cape Town, said yesterday from Bloemfontein that legal counsel for the city and the 11 organisations standing as Amici Curiae (friends of the court), had made “compelling arguments” in favour of lifting the veil of secrecy which the SA National Roads Agency (Sanral) has imposed on its toll project for the N1 and the N2.
“Sanral wants to keep taxpayers in the dark about the cost of the tolling project by preventing the city from disclosing the information that is contained in its bid record. If Sanral is indeed committed to transparency, it would not continue in its efforts to keep the information, which is not confidential, from the public based solely on a novel interpretation of the procedural requirements relating to disclosure of documents filed as part of litigation proceedings.”
The appeal yesterday came as allegations that Sanral fabricated affidavits in support of its N2 Wild Coast Toll Road scheme emerged.
Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance spokesman Wayne Duvenage said: “Having studied copies of the various affidavits in the court record, it would appear that Sanral has fabricated evidence to back up its assertion that the Amadiba coastal community were supportive of the N2 Wild Coast toll road scheme.”
Sanral’s general manager of communications, Vusi Mona, said Sanral’s lawyers would investigate the allegations.
Meanwhile, Herron said the information being kept under wraps by the Western Cape High Court order was of “great public importance” as it referred to toll fees and compared these with what Gauteng motorists werepaying for their toll scheme.
The city’s review application for Sanral’s decision to declare the N1 and N2 as toll roads, and for the project to be scrapped, has been set down for August 11 in the Western Cape High Court.