POLITICS

ANC govt planning even more toll roads - Ian Ollis

DA MP says SANRAL wants to toll N3 between Durban and Pietermaritzburg and other routes

More ANC toll-roads revealed

At a Portfolio Committee of Transport strategic planning session last week, the CEO of the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL), Nazir Alli, revealed new toll-roads that the entity is considering for implementation. These new toll-roads are in addition to N1-N2 Winelands toll road in the Western Cape, the N2 Wild Coast toll road in the Eastern Cape and e-tolls in Gauteng.

Nazir Alli revealed that as part of SANRAL's 2012/13 Strategic Plan, the entity is considering building new toll-roads in the following areas:

  • N3 Durban to Pietermaritzburg;
  • N12 Kimberley to Johannesburg;
  • N1 Ring road at Musina;
  • N1 Kroonstad to Winburg; and 
  • N1 Botlokwa Interchange and pedestrian facilities.

These toll roads will hit the poorest South Africans the hardest. It will increase the price of doing business, result in food price increases and will inevitably undermine economic growth and job creation.

The DA will fight these new ANC toll-roads, as we are doing in the Western Cape and Gauteng.

The DA in the NCOP will therefore recommend next week that the Transport Laws and Related Matters Amendment Bill - the ‘e-toll bill' - be rejected and sent back to the National Assembly. In addition that public hearings be heard in all nine provinces across the country as to the desirability of this bill.

If approved, the Bill will give SANRAL and the Department of Transport the power to build new toll roads without consulting the public, municipalities, Metros, and Provinces affected.

It is imperative that before any road is declared a toll road, the impact of the proposed route is considered by the public, as well as local and provincial government and the views of all stakeholders taken into account.

While the DA recognises the need for funding to be sought to help eliminate South Africa's road maintenance backlog, wholesale erection of toll roads is not the solution.

A dedicated Road Maintenance Fund - sourced primarily from the fuel levy - would ensure regular supply of funds to gradually eliminate South Africa's road maintenance backlog. This backlog has been caused by two decades of underinvestment by the government.

South Africa cannot afford to pay for this new network of tolls around the country. We will fight these new ANC toll roads in Parliament and ensure that poor South Africans are protected from its negative impact.

Indeed, it is clear the ANC no longer cares to do so. A vote for the current government is a vote for many more tolls across South Africa.

Statement issued by Ian Ollis MP, DA Shadow Minister of Transport, April 21 2013

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter