The SA National Roads Agency (SANRAL) has welcomed the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance's (Outa's) decision to abandon its court action to the Constitutional Court.
Outa this morning said it would not take the SCA's dismissal of Outa's anti-toll case last week to the Constitutional Court. Outa chairman Wayne Duvenage says the decision - made after a week of deliberations between Outa members, and legal representatives - was taken for two main reasons, based on the principle of the matter and the cold hard fact that funds are scarce.
In a statement released by Sanral this afternoon, the agency says "sanity has prevailed". Vusi Mona, spokesperson for the agency, says he trusts that citizens will respect the integrity of the judiciary and value its independence. "We urge people to obtain their e-tags and register their vehicles in order to enjoy the discounts," he says.
"We can now focus our attention on implementing open road tolling so that we ease the congestion problems on our freeways and support economic growth. It's time to move on and work together in improving our road infrastructure. We hope the likes of Outa will join us this national endeavour," says Mona.
Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) spokesman Patrick Craven this morning said the federation will soon decide on a date for its upcoming national protest against e-tolls. He was unable to specify when the action will take place, but says Cosatu remains committed to get e-tolls scrapped.
Share