Makhura: e-tolls overtax road users

Gauteng Premier and provincial ANC chairperson David Makhura yesterday defended the provincial government’s stance against the controversial e-tolls, saying that the issue with the urban tolling was that it overtaxed road users.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Africa Investment Forum in Johannesburg, Makhura said that the provincial ANC has longed called for the scrapping of the e-tolls since they were introduced in 2013.

Makhura said the provincial ANC and government stance would not create policy uncertainty or a risk profile for Gauteng that would drive investors away.

“South Africa supports the user-pay principle for infrastructure projects, but the issue of urban tolling is a very specific contentious issue. We have projects that businesses are willing to [invest in], the only question they want to know is how are you going to fund it,” Makhura said.

“When you sort out the funding model, there is no confusion on policy uncertainty. But you don’t want a funding model that is contentious where you overburden citizens and later people are going to revolt. A funding model of an infrastructure project that’s a burden for some citizens may be a problem for those investors themselves. That’s where the e-toll issue is; it’s not causing policy uncertainty.”

Last week, Makhura led thousands of ANC members on a march to the Union Buildings in Pretoria, along with Cosatu, the SA Communist Party and civic society organisations such as Outa (the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse), all demanding that e-tolls be scrapped and saying that e-tolls have no future as long as the ANC remains in charge.

Makhura said he was confident that if the election were to be held tomorrow, Gauteng residents would vote the ANC back into power despite the issue of e-tolls. – ANA.