For whom the e-tolls?

What exactly is Premier David Makhura trying to achieve with the recently announced e-tolls review panel and might it produce a pre-determined outcome?

The 10-member panel announced yesterday - comprised mostly of academics, with five names to be added pending confirmation - is teeming with people known for their leftist leanings.

Panellist Fiona Tregenna, an economics professor at the University of Johannesburg, was removed from a Competition Tribunal panel last year when it was discovered she was a member of the SA Communist Party (SACP) central committee.

Fellow panellist Chris Malikane, an economics professor at Wits University, was until recently an economic adviser to labour federation Cosatu but is now with its largest affiliate, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa).

Cosatu and the SACP have vehemently opposed e-tolls since their inception.

The panel will be chaired by Professor Muxe Nkondo and includes lawyer John Ngcebetsha, Dr Anna Mokgokong, Patricia Hanekom and Dr Vuyo Mahlati.

Makhura said it will present its report and make recommendations to government. He said his administration "cannot close our eyes to the cries of sectors of our population who are severely affected".

The formalisation of the panel represents a significant climb-down from a once lofty and inflexible position of government.

It is small wonder the system faces review following the punishing decline in ANC support in Gauteng in the May 7 elections.

The Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) has opened up a new front in the battle, offering to provide legal assistance to any citizen or organisation that is the first to receive a summons for failing to pay an e-tolls bill.

The Right of Law campaign, launched yesterday, is aimed at testing the lawfulness of e-tolls as Outa contends that no court in the land has ever ruled on the lawfulness of the system.

Outa does not have R3-million to R4-million to cover the expected legal costs, and without these funds the campaign may not yield any tangible results, it said.

Meanwhile, Justice Project SA chairman Howard Dembovsky said the group was planning to file criminal charges against Sanral CEO Nazir Ali for failing to report construction companies that allegedly colluded in deals worth R1.46-billion.