Mass protests promised by Cosatu

"Cosatu in Gauteng notes that the e-tolls have not been scrapped by government since our last demonstration," provincial secretary Dumisani Dakile told reporters in Johannesburg.

"Therefore the campaign to occupy the highway and hold huge demonstrations will continue," he said.

The first protest will be held on 11 February.

"We are going out to occupy freeways on that day," Dakile said.

He said the action would continue in other provinces to ensure it became a "national act".

The second protest would be held on 25 February, the same day as the opening of the Gauteng legislature.

"People there [at the opening] were invited to wear suits and ties. We will wear t-shirts and demonstrate with the workers, we will fight for the scrapping of e-tolling," he said.

The third protest would be held on 7 March, the anniversary of Cosatu's nationwide strike against e-tolling and labour-broking last year.

"There must be a stay-away on that day. The country must come to a standstill,"Dakile said.

Last Friday (25 January) the High Court in Pretoria granted the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) leave to appeal against a ruling in favour of tolling. The matter will now go to the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein.

Source: Sapa via I-Net Bridge