E-tolling or E Thief?

[wynn]

I fear that this will be the outcome?

[Justloadit]

I've seen a horse fly
I've seen a house fly,
but I aint seen an elephant fly

[adrianh]

I heard two interesting things about e-Tolls on Cape Talk / 702 at 12.

The government said that taxis are except from paying e-tolls...great. So, how does the e-toll system recognize a taxi: the taxi owner has to take his taxi permit to the e-toll offices so as to get the tag. The tag is then encoded so that the system recognizes the vehicle as a taxi. Now, the rub is that the government is over a year behind with issuing taxi permits and it takes more than 6 month to transfer ownership of said permit...So, the government has implemented a system arse about face yet again.

The other interesting thing is that the postal workers have been negotiating pay increases with the government. The government doesn't want to meet their demands so they are going on strike...but...this is a special strike. They will deliver all mail except e-toll bills. They say that they are within their legal rights to withhold their labour when they strike and they feel that this time they are going to hit their employer....Cool bananas!

[IMHO]

So, will you be able to buy an e-tag that has been hacked to indicate you are a taxi, on the black market?

[Dave S]

So, will you be able to buy an e-tag that has been hacked to indicate you are a taxi, on the black market?

All in due time my son...

[Blurock]

So while we are raving about Gauteng, moves are under way to introduce e-tolls in Durban and Cape Town.

It will start with reduced tolls and then 12-18 months later prices will increase by.....?

Why does government not listen to the people? The knock on effect due to increased prices of transport and products will be enormous. The only way you can stop this is to stop government. Let the people rule!

[Blurock]

A brilliant piece of journalism and oh so true.

Whose freeway is it anyway?



By Mondli Magwaza

Friday, October 25, 2013

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The Propaganda is tricking you into believing that the streets are not yours, that it is by grace that you can enjoy cruising down the N1 (assuming it’s a Sunday night ). That you should be grateful of the little that they have done as it comes from the goodness of their heart. And I fear that you might be giving in.
No my brothers and sisters, these are our streets, we are the economy of the country, collectively we hold more power than the government.

A bit about me

I do not own an e-tag, Ok my name is Mondli Magwaza, a law abiding citizen and a married father of a 4 years old boy. I have a no criminal record and I pay most of my traffic infringements. I have never even been to a court room, I only go to police stations to certify documents. But in the recent issue of e-tolls I feel that I am ready to be executed for what I believe, I’m ready drive into a road block and declare that I won’t buy an e-tag and get hanged on the spot.

Why I’m not getting tagged?

Simple, because the road belongs to me and I have already over paid for it. In the 2013’s budget speech R32.9 billion was allocated to SANRAL for road improvements which came from society taxes collected from me and you. A little more than R 2 comes off every litre of petrol I fill in my car; this produces over R 40 billion rand per annum in revenue and is specifically for infrastructure development also known as my roads. I also pay my vehicle licence fees annually from which the Gauteng transport department raises well over R 2 billion per annum.

Let’s roll back to a stone left unturned

In 2006 SANRAL undertook the so called Gauteng Freeway Upgrade Project estimated at R 6 billion, which 5 years later ended up costing me and you over R 20 billion. This equates to over R 1 million per kilometer, which by the way was actually a few centimeters resurfacing of existing roads. Competition Commission’s investigation proved that the society was over charged for all the work, but the investigation was called off just as it was close to pointing fingers on the individuals that benefited from these exaggerated costs

What’s e-Tolling

In 2009 Electronic Tolling Company was awarded R 10.1 billion tender to extract money from Gauteng motorists through e-Tolling, ETC by the way is 85% owned by a European company KAPSCH, which publicly announced that they will earn R670 million per annum from the e-toll system. Take a moment to imagine the amount of Schools, Clinics and of course Roads (hello) that could have been built with all this money, don’t forget to breathe.
The fuel levy mechanism on the other side goes straight to developing our roads, if this was really about the roads, the Treasury would have added a mere 9c to the fuel levy from 2006, by now they would have accumulated more than R 17 billion, more than enough to keep our roads in an international standards that we are used to (The freeways are there, let’s give it to them), while maintaining SANRAL’s credit rating and keeping them focused on building roads and us, the tax payers, on working to build South Africa to what it could become.

This is not some national road in Malawi!

Our head of state with his reasoning poses a question “Why should the whole of South Africa pay for Gauteng roads” well Mr President, excuse me for thinking like an African but Gauteng roads are South African roads, The entire country benefits from us driving around them every day to work our butts off to be able to contribute 41% i.e. R 400 billion of South Africa’s social tax revenue, yet in return Gauteng only receives 10% from the national budget. It only makes sense Mr President that a country benefiting so much from Gauteng’s economic activities contributes in making sure that its citizens have the roads to continue doing their business.

I am an African

I then conclude that this is a harsh and painful “thank you” the ruling party is giving to its voters for affording it the majority that it enjoys in parliament.
I see my beloved South Africa as a golden goose, with a potential of laying unlimited golden eggs for the benefit of us and generations to come, but greedy and impertinent mechanisms are being applied to reach into its guts and pull the egg from it leading it to a slow painful death.
The Propaganda is tricking you into believing that the streets are not yours. I refuse to be naïve.



I thank you

[Blurock]

I am a-political and do not support any politician or their parties. The present government is however forcing me to react to their policies and ongoing corruption. The only way to get a party out of power is not to vote it into power in the first place.

[IMHO]

A brilliant piece of journalism and oh so true.

Agreed. How can we give this more prominence?

Twitter the sh@# out of this link.

http://www.news24.com/MyNews24/Whose...nyway-20131025

[Citizen X]

Just to add to whatever has already been said on e-tolling….

A legal philosophy that supports the outcry of citizens against e-tolling

John Locke

Now not being the time for me to engage in philosophical discourse as I have to face a few philosophers in exams soon[discourse at this time would drive me crazy!!].

Notwithstanding this I have only fairly recently gained respect for John Locke and Critical Legal Studies in particular Dr Duncan Kennedy.

Prior to this I had respect for only one philosopher namely Karl Marx.

“The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways, the point is however to change it!” Karl Marx 1845.

I’m hoping that someone will build a picture of John Locke’s philosophy and the current outcry of citizens to e-tolling [I promise I will add my two cents on John Locke in due course] and the sheer relevance of his brain child to what is taking place in SA today.

The key directing question is: What would John Locke [an honorary founding father of the USA] say about e-tolling and how he would approach this situation?

To narrow things down, his views on a social contract between the state and citizens are relevant.


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Photo[1]
Photo 2[2]

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[1] http://www.google.co.za/imgres?imgur...EwAAWikipedia: Accessed 25 November 2013

[2] Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Treatises_of_Government. Accessed 25 November 2013

the following two links are immensely informative[to what is happening in SA today]

http://www.lonang.com/exlibris/locke/

http://www.efm.bris.ac.uk/het/locke/government.pdf

In 1690 John Locke starts his treatise by boldly stating that his work is the beginning and end of all discussion concerning government!

[Phil Cooper]

Client of mine registered for etag months ago.

Has NOT set wheel on the etoll roads yet.

Has received statements showing deductions for usage .....

[Trickzta]

I heard on 702 that of the many vehicles using the N1, only about 1% had tags.

Government vehicles are tagged and not tolled (correct me if I'm wrong) and would be included in that 1%.

Early days still, but I think that this is going to be even more embarassing than I originally thought.

Marvelous to have this piece of arrogant corruption to unite the nation as we speak out as one voice.

Great nation building block, great stumbling block and hurdle for the enforcers.

Possibly the timing was planned to minimise the effect of disruptive protests, anticipated by the authorities.

Viva the resistance! Africans unite!

[IanF]

Our local post office said they haven't seen any etoll invoices yet in the post. Maybe the post office workers won't sort the invoices as they said they would.
This is going to get interesting!

[Citizen X]

Our local post office said they haven't seen any etoll invoices yet in the post. Maybe the post office workers won't sort the invoices as they said they would.
This is going to get interesting!

Indeed, the post office needs a thread on its own, they a shocking of a shambles when it comes to receiving your post on time, strikes and such other problems..

[Citizen X]

I heard on 702 that of the many vehicles using the N1, only about 1% had tags.

Government vehicles are tagged and not tolled (correct me if I'm wrong) and would be included in that 1%.

Early days still, but I think that this is going to be even more embarassing than I originally thought.

Marvelous to have this piece of arrogant corruption to unite the nation as we speak out as one voice.

Great nation building block, great stumbling block and hurdle for the enforcers.

Possibly the timing was planned to minimise the effect of disruptive protests, anticipated by the authorities.

Viva the resistance! Africans unite!

I listen to Radio 702 as well! I try and tune in whenever possible, but mostly between 5am and 6am. This Radio Station is really for the people of South Africa. I think that many South Africans don't realise what a big role this radio station plays in keeping us properly informed...