Normally they just stand on the overpasses with their banners unfurled. “NO TOLLS” they read. Last Friday was different. Instead of a peaceful protest against the iniquities of the e-toll system, the Metropolitan Police descended upon the small bunch of protesting claiming that they were disrupting traffic. Instead it was the 10 police vehicles which were causing the obstruction. A visitor from Dubai then enlightened us what was their experience with toll roads. It could not be more different than Gauteng’s response.

Like all protest action, facts and reasons are lost in the squabble. So it is with e-tolls. Regurgitating the arguments at this juncture is pointless. In his revised proposal, the Deputy President, Cyril Ramaphosa did make two salient points. Firstly, somebody has to pay for the new roads. By converting the e-toll to a fuel levy as advocated by OUTA, the poor would bear portion of the cost as taxis would also be liable for a fuel levy whereas if the cost were split between tolls and other taxes, the effect would be felt mainly by the affluent citizens.

Main picture: E-Toll gantries are now part of the landscape of Gauteng
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