Business
Uproar in South Africa over new road tolls
The government responded last month by lowering the toll rates by 40 percent to US$ 0.04 per kilometre when the system starts on April 30.
But in his budget speech, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said the new tolls would go ahead as they are needed to pay off the 33 billion rand loans (US$4.2 billion) used to finance recently finished upgrades to the highway.
The government also wants the tolls to make driving more expensive to encourage more people to use a new US$3.8 billion high-speed train line linking the cities.
Opposition parties, businesses, labor unions and ordinary drivers have all voiced fury at the tolls, but support for the protest on Wednesday appears less widespread.
The main opposition Democratic Alliance declined to join the protest, saying it plans to challenge the system in court.
The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which has criticised the tolls, worried that the protest would deepen the country’s reputation for frequent strikes.
“The protest action against the Gauteng toll fees is unconstructive and counterproductive,” the chamber’s CEO Neren Rau said. “What is needed is dialogue between the social partners on alternative funding options.”
