THE Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has slammed the South African National Roads Agency Limited’s (Sanral’s) decision to issue summonses to motorists who have failed to pay their e-toll debts as "an extreme form of bureaucratic bullying and arrogance".
Sanral announced at the weekend that sheriffs in several Gauteng jurisdictions would begin issuing civil summonses against individuals and companies that had persistently failed to pay their e-toll debts. The Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) believes the summonses will provide it with a legal basis to contest the legality of the entire e-toll project in court.
Cosatu national spokesman Sizwe Pamla said Gauteng motorists were not going "to be held liable or shoulder responsibility for government’s decision to implement a policy, which has been unanimously rejected by the overwhelming majority of Gauteng residents.
"To use legal threats and coercion in an attempt to bully people into submission will not work, but it will result in the further wastage of our resources," he said.
The federation reiterated its view that what was needed was an integrated public transport model. "This country needs a safe, reliable and affordable transport system that will improve the efficiency of public transport and make it a mode of choice for everyone," Mr Pamla added.
"The apartheid spatial planning has left us with a legacy of the black majority that stays far away from their workplaces. These workers spend more than a quarter of their salaries on transport costs. For Sanral to force them to pay for illegally privatised roads is criminal and incomprehensible."
Cosatu emphasised in its statement that the country’s highways were a national asset and it would oppose illegitimate efforts to privatise them. "The only solution to the e-toll problem is for government to listen to the people and totally scrap them."
Picture: SOWETAN
THE Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has slammed the South African National Roads Agency Limited’s (Sanral’s) decision to issue summonses to motorists who have failed to pay their e-toll debts as "an extreme form of bureaucratic bullying and arrogance".
Sanral announced at the weekend that sheriffs in several Gauteng jurisdictions would begin issuing civil summonses against individuals and companies that had persistently failed to pay their e-toll debts. The Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) believes the summonses will provide it with a legal basis to contest the legality of the entire e-toll project in court.
Cosatu national spokesman Sizwe Pamla said Gauteng motorists were not going "to be held liable or shoulder responsibility for government’s decision to implement a policy, which has been unanimously rejected by the overwhelming majority of Gauteng residents.
"To use legal threats and coercion in an attempt to bully people into submission will not work, but it will result in the further wastage of our resources," he said.
The federation reiterated its view that what was needed was an integrated public transport model. "This country needs a safe, reliable and affordable transport system that will improve the efficiency of public transport and make it a mode of choice for everyone," Mr Pamla added.
"The apartheid spatial planning has left us with a legacy of the black majority that stays far away from their workplaces. These workers spend more than a quarter of their salaries on transport costs. For Sanral to force them to pay for illegally privatised roads is criminal and incomprehensible."
Cosatu emphasised in its statement that the country’s highways were a national asset and it would oppose illegitimate efforts to privatise them. "The only solution to the e-toll problem is for government to listen to the people and totally scrap them."
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