The South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) has denied it is retrenching employees, saying the Congress of South African Trade Unions' (Cosatu's) claim that the agency has issued retrenchment letters to its employees is incorrect.
"It is very mischievous of Cosatu to claim that Sanral is retrenching 1 200 workers when we only have a staff complement of 283," says Sanral communications GM Vusi Mona, adding the Electronic Toll Company, a Sanral service provider, is downscaling its operations in line with its business model.
"Sanral cannot be held accountable for the business decisions made by its service providers. Service providers to Cosatu are not the federation and when they retrench, for whatever reason, that can't be equated to Cosatu retrenching its employees," says Mona.
He adds it is regrettable that, in its opposition to e-tolling, the trade union federation is misleading the public. "Even opponents are expected to stick to certain minimum standards of truth."
Worst crisis
In a statement issued earlier, Cosatu says the e-tolling system is facing its worst crisis to date, with many workers already having been retrenched by Sanral, since the introduction of the system in December 2013. "The loss of revenue by Sanral is also another indication that the system is inefficient and ineffective and is just creating a burden to our people and the poor in particular.
"We are hence continuing with the mass action in which defiance of the system is part of the campaign. We will be engaging in the slow drive on the 18 October to hand over a memorandum [at] Sanral's offices."
While observers are confident the e-tolling system is now almost certainly doomed, many opponents of the system have warned people not to celebrate its demise just yet.
Cosatu is not letting up in its fight against e-tolling, with tomorrow's mass protest aimed at highlighting the lack of public transport in SA and Gauteng in particular.
The trade union federation will be supported by the National Association of School Governing Bodies, the National Taxi Alliance and United Transport in Gauteng. Cosatu's protest action, which coincides with October being public transport month, will focus on the state of the commuter transport system, such as trains and buses, as well as e-tolling in Gauteng.
"We [will] also be taking the battle to the Sanral offices, which had abused more than R20 billion and upgraded the freeways and, in the process [commoditised] our public roads without any consultation and engagement with the people of the province of Gauteng," says Cosatu. The organisation says Sanral's actions (implementing e-tolls) could be described as "selling our public roads to the highest bidder".
Final catalyst
Meanwhile, the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) says the ANC in Gauteng's opposition to e-tolling is the final catalyst to the e-toll system's demise, but warns it isn't over until the minister of transport or Cabinet announce a halt to the scheme.
"Every day, some people are paying and this is wrong. They will continue to pay until it is pulled," says Outa chairperson Wayne Duvenage.
He says the political party has had a change of heart for two reasons: "They have seen the irrationality, its failings, etc; and they know that for as long as it stays in place, it is costing them support. The 2016 local elections are 20 months away. They'd like this e-toll albatross to have withered from their necks by then."
Justice Project SA chairperson Howard Dembovsky also warned victory celebrations could be premature, despite the ANC's about-turn on e-tolling. Dembovsky stated that while e-tolling is essentially "dead", Gauteng citizens should be wary of underhand tactics by Sanral. The organisation has a well-documented record of heavy-handed behaviour and intimidation to force compliance with e-tolling, he argued.
"E-tolls are on life-support and someone must just wake up and pull the plug. But, in the meantime, know your enemy."
Share