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Soweto residents tell their e-toll stories

Johannesburg - Residents of Soweto on Monday spoke in unity as they rejected the e-tolling system during talks at the Orlando Community Hall.

Speaker after speaker at a public meeting aimed at analysing the socio-economic impacts of the tolls said they were not prepared to pay.

Phumlani Mngomezulu, an owner of a small business, said he was rather concerned that while Premier David Makhura had established this panel to discuss the tolls, Transport Minister Dipuo Peters was not getting involved.

"Government isn't interested," he said.

He also questioned why the SA National Roads Agency Limited wasn't involved in the talks.

A woman who identified herself as Eden lashed out at the panel.

"Because things aren't working your way, you're calling us now," she said.

One man who lived in Protea and worked in Midrand said he passed three gantries daily.

He claimed it was unfair for government to categorise people like him as the "middle-class" without seeing his payslip or knowing his needs, but assuming he could pay for the tolls.

He implied that government was ripping off locals.

The meeting was attended by dozens of Soweto residents as well as a few who lived on the outskirts of the township.

Many of those attending wore blue Democratic Alliance T-shirts, a handful wore Economic Freedom Fighter berets and T-shirts while some were clad in African National Congress T-shirts.

The meeting was chaired by Professor Muxe Nkondo, who had been appointed by Makhura.

"Feel free to tell us your stories," he said.

Dr Trish Hanekom, who was also on the panel, explained that they were not expecting to hear the views of political parties but of individuals.

"When the public meetings are complete, we'll meet with the political parties involved in the legislature," she said.

She called on the public to continue to make written submissions until October.

The panel was expected to submit its findings and recommendations to Makhura by November.

He would apply his mind on what to do with the report.

The talks come amid the mass rejection of the tolls with some political parties calling for them to be scrapped.


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