Ndebele undermining Parliament by pushing through backdoor e-tag regulations
Minister of Transport S'bu Ndebele is attempting to force motorists to purchase e-tags through proposals made in the National Roads Act Regulations submitted and gazetted last week.
The proposed regulations will give the CEO of the South African National Road Agency (SANRAL) the right to appoint the Orwellian-sounding "peace officers".
"Peace officers" will, among other things, be allowed to:
- Demand from any person to immediately produce their licence or any other document authorising that person to operate a car, and to produce any other document or tag;
- impound any licence, document or tag which, in his/her opinion, may afford evidence of a contravention or evasion of any provision of the Act;
- require any person, whether or not such person is in any vehicle, to furnish his or her name and address and provide any other particulars required as to his/her identification;
- require the driver of any vehicle to stop such vehicle;
- at any time enter any motor vehicle and inspect such vehicle and any electronic device installed therein for the purpose of toll collection; and
- question the driver of a vehicle as to whether required tolls have been paid.
These regulations could have serious repercussions.