Cosatu drive-slow hits Pretoria

"The protest started next to the McDonald's opposite the Garden Court in End Street in Hatfield," said Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) provincial secretary Dumisani Dakile.

He said it would proceed east on the N4, south on the N1, then onto the R21 towards the airport, taking the off-ramp at Nelmapius road.

It would re-join the R21 north to Pretoria and end at Fountains Valley in Eufees Road.

"The go-slow is to raise public awareness of the campaign to scrap the e-tolling system in the Province of Gauteng," he said.

In April, the SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) said it would begin e-tolling on Gauteng's roads within two months.

In April last year High Court in Pretoria granted the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) an interdict approving a full judicial review before electronic tolling could be put into effect.

The interdict prevented Sanral from levying or collecting e-tolls, pending the outcome of a review. Sanral and the National Treasury appealed the court order.

In September last year, the Constitutional Court set aside the interim order and in December, the High Court in Pretoria dismissed Outa's application to scrap e-tolling.

In January this year, the court granted Outa leave to take the matter to the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein. The appeal is expected to be heard in September.

Source: Sapa via I-Net Bridge