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E-toll Bill debate postponed

Staff Writer
By Staff Writer, ITWeb
Johannesburg, 14 May 2013

The Democratic Alliance, the official opposition, has welcomed the postponement of the debate on the controversial e-tolling bill in the National Council of Provinces.

The Transport Laws and Related Matters Amendment Bill will pave the way for users to be charged electronically to use roads in and around Gauteng.

In a statement, the DA says members of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) Select Committee on Public Services received notification this afternoon via SMS and e-mail informing them of the postponement of the debate and vote until "further notice". No reason was provided, it says.

The postponement of the debate follows a letter sent last week DA member Herman Groenewald to the Chairperson of the NCOP, Mninwa Mahlangu, expressing his concerns with procedures followed during the deliberation on the Bill in the Select Committee on Public Service.

He requested that the Bill be referred back to the committee for further deliberations and to allow for extensive public submissions.

The DA has previously claimed that the Bill was being rushed through the legislative process and that the correct procedures were not being followed.

Transport spokesman Tiyani Rikhotso was not immediately available.

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