SANRAL refutes secrecy claims
04 August, 2014 - SANRAL's application to the Western Cape High Court for certain aspects of the Winelands Toll project to be kept confidential has nothing to do with the so-called Secrecy Bill, the agency said this morning.
"We have no desire to withhold information that would make it possible for us to account for stewardship of the resources under our control. In fact, we are required by Parliament to account for the manner we use public resources and have always done so without fail," says the agency's spokesperson Vusi Mona.
"Where plans have not yet been implemented or tenders not yet awarded, it is important that we respect the integrity of the tender process. We do so because the benefits attaching to such plans or tenders have not yet been secured and a competitive tender process may be at risk of being usurped by others if disclosed prematurely," said Mona.
SANRAL has in the past protected commercially sensitive information in tender review challenges even though case law states that after an award of tender information must be released. SANRAL understands that as a practical matter and in an open democracy, information relating to a tender process, especially when involving a state-owned entity, cannot be protected indefinitely.
"However, before the process has been finalised, we believe there is a case for confidentiality," Mona said.
The agency further stated that it is important for the public to know two crucial factors relating to the tender and particularly the tolling of the N1/N2 Winelands. The City of Cape Town has failed to explain to the public that SANRAL has not awarded the tender to any of the bidders and is only at the preferred bidder stage of the process. More importantly, the Minister of Transport has not even declared the toll tariff. Accusations that SANRAL is refusing to disclose the tariffs are therefore at best, misguided and at worst, simply not true.
Statement issued by SANRAL, August 4 2014
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