More promises from Mbalula on e-Tolls yet Gauteng residents struggle to make ends meet

7 May 2021

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng notes the comments by National Transport Minister, Fikile Mbalula that an announcement will be made on e-Tolls in the province in the next two weeks.

This promise is nothing new and we have heard similar undertakings before from Minister Mbalula which has come to naught.

The DA has for the longest time said that e-Tolls are an unfair burden on the residents of Gauteng who are already struggling to make ends meet.

It is important now more than ever that a decision is finally made on e-Tolls as the cost of basic food and petrol has gone up over the last year, putting further pressure on residents who have been negatively impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

An announcement on the future of e-Tolls was supposed to have been made last month, but according to the Minister of Transport, this could not happen because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

We sincerely hope that Mbalula sticks to his promise this time as residents have been forced to pay for something that they did not agree to in the first place.

The DA will continue to put pressure on Premier David Makhura to lodge an intergovernmental dispute on the matter as this has been an issue since the implementation of e-Tolls in 2013.

Issued by Fred Nel, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Roads and Transport, 7 May 2021