The Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (OUTA) has defended its decision to accept a ZAR1 million (US$101,000) donation from the Democratic Alliance (DA) towards its pending case against e-tolling in South Africa.
HumanIPO reported last week the DA said it would contribute to help OUTA cover its legal costs as the campaign group needed to come up with the funds before June 21 for the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) e-tolling case, which is set for September, to be heard.
The New Age newspaper reported Wayne Duvenage, chairman of OUTA, told them last year the alliance did not accept a DA request to join due to the fact it did not intend on politicising the fight against e-tolling, and the DA accepted this.
The New Age described this recent development as a “perceived about turn”, saying OUTA was “quick to accept the donation on Friday”.
However, Duvenage explained and defended OUTA’s acceptance of the DA’s donation.
“We asked them not to be the litigants in the case because it would have turned the court case into a political football [match], but we never said they couldn’t assist us,” he said.
Referring to civil rights group Afriforum’s SMS fund-raising campaign for OUTA, which saw ZAR100,000 (US$10,000) raised, Duvenage said: “There was no ruckus made about that. The DA hasn’t come rushing in now. They have been opposed to e-tolling since its inception. They have been fighting this battle in parliament.”
Duvenage added: “We don’t see what is wrong with accepting money from them. If the Catholic Church, for example, was to donate money to us, should we not accept it for fear that we might offend the Jewish community?”
Vusi Mona, spokesperson for the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL), welcomed the DA’s donation to OUTA, because the agency believes it is important for OUTA’s case to be heard.
