SANRAL SPIN DOCTORS WORK OVERTIME

With just over two weeks remaining until intended implementation of the Gauteng Tolls, South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) has announced that it has sold just under 213 000 e-tags.

While this seems to be a large figure it needs to be put into perspective. The national fleet is approximately 10 million vehicles, and of these about 40%  or 4 million vehicles are registered in Gauteng.

In addition there are daily trips on the Gauteng highways by a large number of vehicles registered in other provinces and countries.

The 213 000 registrations thus represents less than 5 % of the vehicles using the Gauteng highways and means that the boycott called for by the DA and many other organisations is indeed a roaring success. Sanral must be very worried that this form of public protest has been so successful.

It is interesting to note that Sanral has not broken down the registrations into categories. It is likely that these are either government or parastatal vehicles for whom the taxpayer forks out in any event.

If we all stand together resolutely refusing to be part of this unjust toll system, it will fail because Sanral, the toll collection company and the justice system cannot cope with a boycott by 95% of highway users.

Statement issued by Dr. Neil Campbell, DA MPL, Gauteng, January 12 2012

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