COSATU Western Cape to oppose toll roads

COSATU in the Western Cape will be following the decision of the COSATU Congress and opposing the implementation of toll roads in the Western Cape. The setting in place of toll roads are effectively commodifying roads and adding cost to the present funding arrangements for roads in terms of the levy on fuel that motorists are charged.

We however believe that the toll road saga is in many respects similar to the privatisation of education and this also must be viewed in the light of the service and resource standards at private schools where additional funds must be paid, above the tax that is meant to fund this as an important public service. So the wealthy essentially pay more schools fees to secure a better service for their learners.

This is a practice that the DA supports and promotes, as we see in the huge distinction between schools on the Cape Flats and those in the shadows of table Mountain. This differentiated services that discriminates against the working class communities and working families must be brought to an end. We must ensure that all learners are given the resources and facilities at all schools so they can realise their potential and not be discriminated against on the basis of their parent's income.

As COSATU we will be running a campaign against the toll roads and will seek to reduce and remove the impact of any funding model onto working class communities, as well as carefully evaluating the impact on businesses and the jobs there. We believe there is significant space to tax the wealthy individuals in SA a lot more and should there be a shortage of funds in the fiscus, for key infrastructure, then we should increase the tax on the super wealthy in South Africa, who are the key DA supporters. 

As COSATU we will not even consider running a campaign that may include the DA, unless the DA publicly states that they will stop defending the apartheid generational advantage of white communities, and will put in place programmes that ensures that public funds are spent to remove the huge inequalities between white and black areas as a matter of urgency.

The DA call that this election should be about who supports the tolls or not, should include the fact that this election should be a choice about who supports and maintains the apartheid generational advantages /disadvantages. Who spends money to maintain the gap between facilities in rich and poor areas, old white and black areas? The arch of development should always be towards removing the inequalities and building a fairer and just outcome in society. And for the DA to ever march with COSATU they must meet this test in respect of the aggregate developments in society.

Statement issued by COSATU Western cape Provincial Secretary, Tony Ehrenreich, April 16 2013

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