The South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) has issued a statement welcoming the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance's (Outa's) approach to the Public Protector.
Outa's approach comes after a recent wave of "inexplicable, inaccurate and threatening SMSes from Sanral's collection agents", chairman Wayne Duvenage says. He adds the alliance has approached the office of the public protector to urgently intervene and "compel Sanral to face up to its critics in a responsible and mature manner".
Sanral has been accused of using threatening SMSes to claim amounts that some motorists argue are very inaccurate.
Sanral's statement, on the back of Outa's complaint, says it "is prepared to cooperate fully with any legitimate investigation which is launched into e-tolling as we have done in the past. We hope that Outa will accept the outcome of the public protectors investigation even if it is not to their liking."
Outa has been vocal in its opposition to electronic tolling on several of Gauteng's highways, launching several unsuccessful court bids to stop the controversial system.
Says Sanral: "Outa has lost every time it has gone to the courts and does not have a good track record when it comes to this. We are confident that this approach will be equally negative for it.
"We are surprised, though, that we were not informed directly and had to pick this up via the media. Outa has once again failed to constructively engage with Sanral and instead have continued to use the media to further their agenda," the agency's spokesman, Vusi Mona, alleges in the statement.
Mona also pointed out SANRAL turned to the public protector some twenty months ago when rumours of possible impropriety were raised, but did not elaborate on this statement.
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