The Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) says it hopes the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) will now start to engage directly with the public, following the minister of transport's announcement that the agency would appear before the e-toll review panel.
Unlike other opponents of e-tolling that claim Sanral and government should not be allowed to appear before the panel at this late stage in the process - after initially snubbing the review - Outa says the about-turn is "most welcome".
"We hope that besides engaging with the panel, Sanral will now also begin to participate in live panel discussions and radio talk shows to answer their critics and the public, by explaining themselves on the many matters and questions which they constantly ignore," says Outa.
However, it is not clear how transparent Sanral will choose to be before the panel, as the agency's spokesperson Vusi Mona explained: "The objective is to clarify some of the assumptions and unfortunate untruths that characterised some of the presentations done so far. Also, it is important for the public to understand the history of this project and that will form part of the presentation."
In addition, transport minister Dipuo Peters earlier stated her department would strive to correct the "distortions about the system which were now in the public domain".
This has raised the ire of the Justice Project SA (JPSA), which has taken exception to Peters and Sanral's position, saying the minister's reference to needing to "correct distortions" is a new low "even for them".
Crucial time
In contrast to Outa, JPSA was not as welcoming of Sanral and the Department of Transport's intention to present to the review panel. "Sanral was invited to make its submissions to the panel a long time ago and instead of seizing the opportunity, they, the Department of Transport and minister Peters decided to actively try to discredit the panel, labelling it as little more than a farce and refusing to participate," it says.
"Minister Peters even went so far as to say that she 'has no duty to implement the findings of the panel', but now it would appear that she and her cohorts wish to manipulate those findings at a crucial time in the process - after representations and submissions have closed."
On the other hand, Outa took a more conciliatory approach, saying: "Outa is also concerned about the numerous false statements, fabrications and evasiveness that have discredited Sanral, and - to overcome their plight - Sanral needs to begin by behaving in a professional, transparent and engaging manner.
"We believe the injustices of Sanral's imposition of e-tolling are very relevant and that while Sanral may try to influence the panel's perceptions about the e-toll decision, the system has been implemented for almost one year and has grossly failed to achieve its objectives as an efficient funding mechanism," says Outa chairperson Wayne Duvenage.
"This is the reality which the authorities need to critically interrogate and identify the real issues that have caused its failure. Sanral's critics most certainly cannot be blamed for its failure."
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