COSATU Gauteng press statement on the campaign against e-tolls

The Congress of South African Trade Unions in Gauteng has noted that the e-tolling system has become live today, after having being delayed on several occasions. We have declared today, 3 December 2013, as Black Tuesday for the poor and the working class.

3 December 2013 will go down in history as a turning point for the democratic state and government. It will represent the day on which our government refused to listen to the views of the people and the poor. They have demonstrated their stubbornness and unwillingness to cooperate with workers and the working class. It represents a clear demonstration of cadres who have been power drunk and believe that they can do as they so wish.

We wish to confirm that as COSATU, and all other working class formations opposed to the e-tolling, will continue to fight for the scrapping of the unjust system. We will continue to mount campaigns on the freeways, hunger strikes, sit-ins, lunch-hour demonstrations, stay-aways and civil disobedience by not buying e-tags and also not paying for the e-tolls, as part of our program moving forward, and also persuading all of those who have bought the e-tags not to register and not to open their account with Sanral.

We hope that now the system has became a reality many people will begin to realize the need to join the mass protest and civil disobedience organised by the federation. The most important weapon now at our disposal is to refuse to cooperate with Sanral and not to buy e-tags in numbers. The success of the system depends on the co-operation and support from the public and motorists. We call upon all those who have registered to de-register and it is on this basis that as the federation we are developing a de-registration form to be used by the public and this will be posted on our website. We hope that the form will be accessible before the end of the week.  

The ANC, as the ruling Party, will regret the effect and impact of the E-tolls, as it will reduce its majority of voters in the province as a result of this E-tolling. Many loyal supporters of the movement will not go to the polls due to this unjustified and unfair system. We hence once more make an appeal to them to engage with us to find the most sustainable solution to this fiasco.

We believe that there is still time to intervene and scrap this unjustified system in the province before it is too late.

We are planning various forms of protest which will be unleashed in the New Year to continue to defy and call for the scrapping of the tolling system in the country.

We are now also starting a petition, in a 2-million signature campaign as part of the programme going forward.

Statement issued by Dumisani Dakile, COSATU Gauteng Provincial Secretary, December 3 2013

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