The two sides of the e-toll coin

TITO Mboweni, our inimitable finance minister, is known as much for the hard skills that he brings to his job as he is for his outspoken candour – a trait that’s far too rare in today’s political climate.

This week he was at it again, condemning Sanral’s decision to no longer prosecute road users for nonpayment of e-toll fees and write off outstanding debt owed by them.

The hated e-tolls have been the government’s inadvertent gift to social cohesion, uniting South Africans of all colours, creeds and classes in their civic rebellion. When the board of the national roads agency announced its decision on Wednesday to effectively write off unpaid bills, Gauteng motorists heaved a sigh of relief. Many analysts had no doubt that it was an electioneering tactic by the ANC ahead of the allimportant May 8 general elections, to bolster their tenuous hold of the province.

Mboweni, though, was having none of it, slamming the decision as going against the user-mustpay principle. Technically he’s absolutely spot on. In fact, Eskom would be another example of where the user-must-pay principle should be enforced. The problem, though, is that he is out of sync with his political colleagues and especially the ANC’S alliance partners, who have long set their face against e-tolls, finding common cause with the DA and Outa, among others.

At one level, this dissonance is very refreshing. At a more functional level it is very worrying. But then again, our president appears to be so shocked by each weekly revelation about the true state of affairs in this country that it’s amazing enough power is passing through the national grid to prevent load shedding.

All of which provides grist to the cartoonists and the comedians, but it leaves the rest of us

(including foreign ratings agencies probably) wondering who in fact is running the country – just over five weeks before an election.