People should not consider e-tolls as a pest but rather appreciate the world-class infrastructure tolling has made possible, ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said yesterday.
"People must not make e-tolls a gogga," Mantashe said at the Wedela Community Hall in Carletonville, west of Johannesburg. "It is not a gogga. It's a funding mechanism for world-class infrastructure."
He was delivering a political lecture arranged by the National Union of Mineworkers.
Mantashe said Gauteng was a "smart province" and the infrastructure made travelling between Johannesburg and Pretoria easy, therefore people "must pay for it".
The e-tolls debate was "sterile" and needed to be elevated.
"Let's elevate the debate to world-class infrastructure," he said.
Mantashe said at the start of the Gautrain and Rea Vaya bus projects, people were also resistant. Now that they have realised the improvements to travel time, people were using them.
"To get the province we are dreaming of, it means a higher level of living standard and higher cost of living."
Mantashe said e-tolls would not affect food and petrol prices because that was determined by the price of crude oil.
The Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance's legal challenge on October 9.
Nine days later, the alliance said it did not have money to continue the challenge.
Mantashe reminded union leaders that workers were putting their lives in their hands. There should be a level of trust between the union leadership and members.
"We must never cut off our nose to spite our face," he said.
He said South Africa was better today than it was in 1994 and the ANC was improving the lives of the poor.
Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package. 
