Sanral rejects Cape Town's bid to halt toll roads

Sanral's Nazir Alli says its jurisdiction over national roads as mandated by government prevents the City of Cape Town from preventing tolls on national routes. Image: News

Sanral's Chief Executive Nazir Alli said the courts had already ruled on Sanral's jurisdiction over the national road network and the decisions should be respected.

After the outcry over the Gauteng toll road, the Democratic Alliance-controlled Cape Town city council is determined to halt toll roads in the province. The council's opposition to the toll project is particularly pertinent in view of the looming local government elections in 2016.

Last year, the High Court in the Western Cape granted the city council an interim interdict preventing Sanral from going ahead with the project pending a judicial review. The council's objections relate to the environmental authorisation for the project, already delayed by 10 years.

Alli indicated in a presentation to Parliament's Transport Portfolio Committee that Sanral was equally determined to push ahead with the toll road on the N2 in the Eastern Cape.

Sanral says it's determined to toll Cape roads

The Winelands toll road is at the heart of a bitter dispute between Sanral and the City of Cape Town. Image: www.fastmoving.co.za Fastmoving]]

He claimed unemployed local residents were strongly in favour of the Wild Coast project, which they believed would create jobs.

Two court actions have been launched against the Wild Coast toll-road project both of which attack the validity of the record of decision.

According to Alli, "rich people living in Stellenbosch and Randburg who are not directly affected by the poverty" launched the court action.

He emphasised in his presentation that selective use of the user-pays principle was the only way to make a dent in SA's road maintenance backlog of R150bn. He said the government had accepted this policy.

After a fierce court battle two weeks ago, the preferred bidder for the Winelands toll project, the Protea Parkways Consortium, agreed to allow an edited version of tender documents to be made publicly available, although Sanral opposed this.

Alli accused the city council of reneging on its undertaking to keep the bid information - which includes the tariffs and the revenue to be earned by the operator - confidential until the tender was awarded.

Source: Business Day via I-Net Bridge