HumanIPO reported last month that five DA mayors in the Western Cape had vowed to fight against the implementation of e-tolling in the province.
“Transport minister Ben Martin’s confidence that the e-tolling bill - the Transport Laws and Related Matters Amendment Bill - will be passed through the National Council of Provinces without a fight is presumptuous,” said Van Lingen.
Van Lingen said the DA in the NCOP is preparing for the fight against what her party feels is an unnecessary bill. The DA “will do as much as possible” to prevent e-tolling becoming law.
According to Van Lingen, Martins told press at a media briefing on Monday: “E-tolling is on track. It has been to parliament and now it’s waiting approval by the National Council of Provinces to be implemented. I suggest you get your e-tags now so you can get a discount.”
Van Lingen said the bill is problematic because it will be the world’s most expensive toll collection system once implemented.
Furthermore Van Lingen said e-tolling will “be an additional tax, and allow for construction of e-tolls anywhere in the country without the approval of Parliament, municipalities and provinces”.
“My colleague, Herman Groenewald who sits on the NCOP Portfolio on Public Service Committee, will write to the chairperson of that committee, Mtikeni Sibande, and call for, as was the case with the secrecy bill, additional public hearings on the bill. The NCOP needs to listen to concerns of South Africans who are opposed to e-tolling before the bill is approved,” she said.
Furthermore, Van Lingen said in conclusion that the NCOP is “not a rubber-stamp” for National Assembly and Cabinet decisions because it is a separate house, which was set up to consider “all legislation on its merits”.
