Tolls to hit Khayelitsha, Mitchell's Plain the hardest
Note to editors: The following press statement was released at a press conference on the socio-economic impact of SANRAL's proposed tolling in the Western Cape, held at Parliament today.
Commuters from Khayelitsha and Mitchell's Plain could pay up to R1160 a month to travel into Cape Town if the South African National Road Agency's (Sanral's) N1/N2 Winelands Toll Highway Project goes ahead.
The DA will oppose these tolls like we oppose the e-tolling of highways in Gauteng. The DA-governed City of Cape Town has applied for a court interdict against the tolls and our mayors in Winelands municipalities have already expressed their united opposition to SANRAL's plans.
Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha are the two areas in the City of Cape Town that will be most affected by the planned toll roads, various socio-economic impact studies have shown.[1]
Both areas have the lowest income levels and the highest unemployment in the City (45.1%). They are also home to the largest portion of the metro's population (24.88%).
Based on the current tariff at the Huguenot tunnel, a vehicle travelling from Khayelitsha or Mitchells Plain to Cape Town, will have to pay a toll of R58 per day for a round-trip. This amounts to R290 per week and R1160 per month.
Tolling will severely affect commuting from these areas as the N2 plays a key role in linking them with the rest of the Cape Town Metropolitan area.
This will place immense financial strain on these already struggling communities and restrict freedom of movement and opportunity.
The municipalities surrounding the City of Cape Town will also be affected.
The N1 and N2 are crucial in the functioning of the Breede River Valley, Theewaterskloof, Drakenstein and Stellenbosch municipal areas.
The economies of these areas are dominated by the agricultural sector and the N1 and N2 are the main access routes from the farms in these areas to the Cape Town harbour for produce export.
Based on our estimates, a farmer in De Doorns, transporting goods to Cape Town on the N1, will have to pay R744 in tolls for a round-trip, passing through no less than three toll plazas (Sandhills, Hugenot tunnel and the Old Oak interchange).
Approximately 18 million cartons of table grapes are transported from the Hex Valley to Cape Town harbour by around 5000 trucks each year.
Despite the immense socio-economic impact, Sanral had not been able to provide any credible reason for the implementation of the planned toll roads.
They have also made no effort so far to consult with the affected communities on what the impact of the roads will have on their day to living.
The tax-paying citizen of the Western Cape already contributes generously each year to the state coffers through personal and fuel taxes.
The DA believes tolls will further impoverish our already poor communities and deprive the people of this province of a fundamental freedom: the freedom to move and seek opportunities.
The DA will announce further campaigns in the coming days against tolling in the Western Cape.
Footnote:
[1] Review Of Social Impacts Associated With Winelands N1/N2 Toll Road Project (Tony Barbour, March 2012)
Statement issued by Ivan Meyer, DA Leader in the Western Cape, April 15 2013
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