Important agreement on City's dispute with SANRAL on toll roads

Today the City of Cape Town and South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) agreed that SANRAL would take no further steps to advance the N1/N2 Winelands Toll Road project, whilst the parties are engaged in the intergovernmental dispute process (IGDR) and whilst the City prepares to take the Minsters of Transport and Environmental Affairs' decisions on the project on review. 

"This is an important victory for the City as we believe that the concerns of residents and City stakeholders will now be properly considered. The agreement reached today is the undertaking that the City has sought from SANRAL over the past few months and formed the basis of our interdict application," said the City's Mayoral Committee Member for Transport, Roads and Stormwater, Councillor Brett Herron.

The original application for an interdict against SANRAL has been postponed sine die (without a date/indefinitely), by agreement, on the basis of the new undertaking given by SANRAL as the City has secured its rights and protected its interests.

"We are satisfied that we have achieved what we sought to get from the interdict application - a commitment from SANRAL that they would not continue with their tolling plans while the City engages to resolve the dispute. We are on record as expressing our concern over the socio-economic impact that tolling would have on Cape Town, particularly on disadvantaged communities," said Councillor Herron.

"When we declared an intergovernmental dispute on the matter earlier this year, the City committed itself to resolving this issue through the intergovernmental dispute process and in the best interests of all parties. This commitment remains intact. Today's court order has now secured an opportunity for the City to engage constructively in the intergovernmental dispute process. SANRAL will take no further steps until the IGDR process is concluded. The City is now preparing to take the decisions of the Ministers of Transport and Environmental Affairs on review," he added.

Statement issued by Councillor Brett Herron, Mayoral Committee Member for Transport, Roads and Stormwater, City of Cape Town, December 6 2011

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