Faced
with the widespread
public concern, protest
and unhappiness at the decision of Government to go ahead and
implement the e-tolling system, we as the Justice and Peace
Department of the SACBC feel compelled to highlight some of the
key moral issues underpinning this decision:
- The Accountability of the Executive
Government
has a mandate to govern, by virtue of having won an election. Does
this mean that they are unaccountable until the next election?
Clearly not! Transparent
public consultations
on controversial issues are bound to be held and taken into account.
We
fear that this has not been adequately done in this case.
- Taking due care when utilising funds appropriated from the people of the country
When
it appears that the cost of a solution being implemented by
Government to address a need is highly inappropriate then it is the
duty of all concerned people to demand explanation. Brushing
this aside by citing the need for confidentiality breeds suspicion.
Transparency is one of the cornerstones of democracy.
- The appropriateness of the cost of the GFIP project
It
appears that the GFIP project will cost R20.63 billion to construct
and a further R20 billion in interest over 24 years, thus totalling
R40.66 billion. The e-tolling solution costs around R1.7 billion to
construct and a further R1.2 billion per year to implement, totalling
R30 billion over the 24 years. So the cost of implementing the
e-tolling is almost 74% of the total cost of the project! This
hardly seems appropriate!
(Download the whole statement by clicking HERE)
(Download HERE Statement on E-tolling and Government Accountability,
to facilitate discussion in local communities)
to facilitate discussion in local communities)
