After the Right2Know Campaign, Section 16 and ODAC intervened yesterday, it appeared that the parties would compromise on releasing a redacted version of the court papers - withholding information that SANRAL and PPC allege is commercially confidential. This would at least give the public a foot in the door.
R2K says the other parties - all the relevant national and provincial ministers, the City of Cape Town and Protea Parkways Consortium (PPC) - are not opposing the release of a redacted version, but SANRAL has refused to agree to this compromise. "This leaves SANRAL isolated in its insistence on unjustifiable secrecy," says R2K.
In the meantime, the hearings will continue in secret.
The organisation says e-tolling will have serious effects on all residents of the Western Cape, especially the poorest of the poor. Hence, "this matter can't be dealt with in secret.
"The people of the Western Cape need to stay vigilant and ensure that e-tolling does not slip under our noses like it did in Gauteng. We want to know how much will be spent on e-tolling upgrades, how much it would affect ordinary people, and which companies are getting rich from e-tolling. The public has a right to know!"
R2K (www.r2k.org.za | @r2kcampaign | fb.com/right2know) says the veil of secrecy on e-tolls must be lifted, there must be no secret court hearings, and no secret court papers.
