The Democratic Alliance’s parliamentary leader Mmusi Maimane has called for a parliamentary review and debate of Gauteng’s controversial e-tolls. Maimane, who was addressing reporters at a press conference on Monday, suggested that the Gauteng legislature’s plans to review the province’s divisive tolling system would be insufficient and that it is the responsibility of Parliament and Minister of Transport Dipou Peters to review the tolling system.

“In his State of the Province, Premier David Makhura announced Gauteng would establish a panel to review this very issue [E-tolls],” began Maimane. “They can discuss and debate all they want but the reality is that this particular issue must be dealt with in the National Assembly,” added Maimane.

Maimane’s comments come in response to Gauteng Premier David Makhura’s announcement that he would be establishing a task team to gauge the impact of E-tolls. Given that Sanral (the body that enforced E-tolls) falls under the National Department of Transport – and, by extension, out of provincial legislature’s jurisdiction – the DA’s parliamentary leader questioned to what effect Makhura’s task team would be of any help.

“I think the task team is a nice way of Premier Makhura to try and appeal to his voters while trying to explain to the rest of the country how the ANC lost such a high percentage of voters here in Gauteng,” he said.

Maimane also highlighted the party’s plans to draft up a Private Members Bill (a bill introduced by an individual member of Parliament) that will make “the process of implementing E-tolls in the future both consultative and democratic”.

Photography: Rofhiwa Maneta

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