No need to panic over e-toll blacklistings: Gauteng ANC
"It is now widely accepted among various stakeholders that tolls in major urban areas like Gauteng are not viable as they add to the already high cost of living for commuters," said the provincial ANC.
The African National Congress (ANC) in Gauteng has said there is no need for motorists to panic over being blacklisted for outstanding e-toll bills.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the governing party says it views "the ill-calculated move" by the Electronic Toll Collection company, acting on behalf of SANRAL, to threaten motorists with blacklisting if they fail to respond to demand letters and court summonses over unpaid bills as "an unfortunate act of provocation."
"It is now widely accepted among various stakeholders that tolls in major urban areas like Gauteng are not viable as they add to the already high cost of living for commuters," said the provincial ANC.
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The statement goes on to say it is on record as stating that the residents of Gauteng have said in no uncertain terms that they want nothing to do with the e-tolls in the current form.it says it's conference resolved that e-tolls should be done away with and that an alternative solution will have to be found in order to maintain and expand the road network in the province.
"While we await a tangible response from national government on an amicable resolution to the matter, we welcome the pronouncement made by the Credit Bureau Association, whose members hold judgement information relating to consumes, that “information relating to e-Tolls / SANRAL will not be held on the credit bureaus,” and that any information relating to this issue “which has been inadvertently loaded onto a consumer profile will be removed”. This announcement should help allay fears among Gauteng motorists, therefore there is no reason to panic," read the statement.