Milking the motorist

Taxis and buses will be exempt from paying tolls on the Gauteng highways according to a report published on IOL, which says that the tolls will push up food prices while ordinary vehicle users will be "cash-cows" for the operators of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project.

President Jacob Zuma's Cabinet bowed to political pressure from various industry groups regarding the controversial toll fees and Cabinet spokesman Jimmy Manyi confirmed that the revised tariff structures had been approved.

The new tariffs will see drivers of light vehicles paying 40c/km with medium vehicles paying 100c/km and heavier vehicles paying 200c/km. Motorcyclists will pay 24c/km.

IOL quotes Deputy Transport Minister Jeremy Cronin saying that the government had "restructured" its R20 billion loan for the project to accommodate the revised toll fees.

Meanwhile, Business Report says that the Congress of South African Trade Unions has already threatened to launch a protracted strike if the tolling system is introduced and the Federation of Trade Unions has confirmed that it would join Cosatu in the mass strike.

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