DA rejects ANC’s decision to erase e-toll debt

DA

Cape Town — The Democratic Alliance (DA) expressed disappointment with the African National Congress’s (ANC) decision not to consult them when it came to the Gauteng Budget Speech.

In a statement, the DA said the ANC failed to consult them despite not having the majority in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL), despite their standing as the second biggest party in the province.

“The ANC’s unrepentant, unchanged and arrogant attitude has and continues to undermine the service delivery needs of Gauteng residents. One would’ve thought that they would have learnt a lesson by now, but they have not,” DA MP Ruhan Robinson said.

Robinson said the party intended to review the budget per department to determine whether it was adequate enough to render services, and if it found that the figures did not suit service deliveyr needs, the party would not support it.

Robinson added that Finance MEC Lebogang Maile’s budget focused on the promises made by Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s State of the Province Address (SOPA).

While DA conducts its review, the party noted two things in particular namely the portion dedicated to the repayment of the e-Toll debt and the budget allocated to the Health and Education Departments.

“For a long time, the DA in Gauteng has been advocating that the fuel levy be used to pay for the e-Toll gantries and that the gantries be used to enforce traffic laws,” Robinson said.

The party indicated that both Health and Education owe money to service providers and municipalities for goods and services and utilities, and Maile announced an ambudsman will be appointed to oversee the payment of invoices within 30 days.

“However, the MEC has not indicated whether the ombudsman will also be checking whether the correct supplier is being paid,” Robinson added.

The party said that too much money has been lost to corruption and the disciplinary processes where officials are involved in corrupt activities takes too long to conclude. The party was also disappointed that the Maintenance budget was reduced by R1 billion considering the poor state of infrastructure in the province.

“A DA Gauteng-led provincial government would deliver a balanced budget to ensure that all critical service delivery projects are funded and completed on time and within budget. Service providers will be paid within 30 days to avoid invoices being paid in the new financial year. Furthermore, we would not have agreed to pay the e-Toll debt which is now putting a strain on our budget,” he added.

Follow African Insider on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Picture: X/@Thisthat_acadmy

For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com

Compiled by Matthew Petersen

Article written by