The Department of Transport (DOT) says it is shocked by the Catholic Church's anti e-toll statement, which berates the ministry for a lack of transparency regarding the high costs involved and for marginalising SA's poor.
In a statement released today the department says, it is "taken aback" by the Southern Africa Catholic Bishops' Conference stance. While the DOT has taken note of the church's stance, it says, "the department remains committed to meeting with stakeholders, including the religious community, to clarify its intentions regarding the introduction of e-tolling in Gauteng."
The DOT goes on to explain that government, through the inter-ministerial committee, has consulted with various stakeholders - including the National Inter-Faith Leaders' Council, South African Council of Churches, Congress of South African Trade Unions, Road Freight Association, and the SA Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association.
"During these consultations, government committed [that it would] consider the views of the religious fraternity and other stakeholders when finalising regulations on the classes of motor vehicles that will be exempted from paying e-tolls."
The second part of the regulations, says the department, will deal with the tariff structure, "which will show a significant reduction from the initially proposed tariffs".
The DOT says it will deal with these "outstanding issues" as soon the Transport Laws and Related Matters Amendment Bill is passed.
"It is therefore incorrect to suggest that the department has neglected the socio-economic implications of e-tolling on the poor and the working class."
The SA Catholic Bishops' Conference called "for the immediate suspension of the GFIP e-tolling project and a full-access review of it by an appropriate forum (the public protector, the auditor general or a judicial enquiry)".
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