Business
South Africa: Gov’t bows to pressure – postpones road toll project
Last week, COSATU intensified its opposition to the plan by asking its members not to purchase the e-tags that would enable drivers go past the tolls put up on the highways. They had also threatened to organize a series of protests through the South African Freedom weekend, which they said would culminate in “the mother of all strikes” on April 30 to disrupt the launch of the road tolls.
“COSATU strongly believes that the pressure of the masses is crucial to forcing government to back down on this blatant extortion. Our aim is to make the tolls un-collectable and force the government and Sanral to find more equitable ways to pay for road improvements,” said a statement released by COSATU on April 23 to drum up support for the mass action.
However, in response to the decision by the South African government, COSATU has also postponed its April 30 general strike until the second week of May. The COSATU leadership says though that its other campaigns against the e-toll will go ahead next week as planned.
They include a blockade of four tollgates at Middleburg and Nkomazi in Mpumalanga Province on April 30, a blockade of the highways in Johannesburg on the same day, and a march in Cape Town.
On March 7, COSATU organised a widely supported nationwide strike to protest existence of labor brokerage firms and the anticipated launch of the road tolls. That strike resulted in 32 marches across different parts of the country and paralysed business in the country’s leading cities.
