'People shall rule on e-tolls'

Gauteng Premier David Makhura stood his ground yesterday and sent a clear message to Transport Minister Dipuo Peters about the fate of e-tolling.

Makhura said the people of Gauteng were his priority and they would "take seriously" the findings of the panel he has appointed to assess the effects of e-tolls on the province.

Peters said this week that the national government would not scrap the system - irrespective of the findings of Makhura's panel.

She said the panel had no power to overrule a decision of the national government and the misapprehension that the system could be scrapped should not be created.

But Makhura yesterday said his major concern was the effect e-tolls would have on the people and economy of Gauteng, not what the minister said.

"I cannot abandon the people of Gauteng," Makhura said.

"The outcome of that panel is something we will take very seriously and the findings and [its] recommendations are something we will act on and we will engage with the national government.

"My primary concern is the people of Gauteng and that is what I am here for. The minister's primary concern is the national infrastructure, so we [are] looking at slightly different things, and I cannot abandon my primary concern."

Makhura was adamant that views expressed by various groups and individuals to the review panel would be taken seriously.

"It is about the impact [the e-tolls have] on the people and the economy of Gauteng. If the panel says the impact is positive, then I will not be worried.

"But if [it] says the impact is negative and [that] these are the views of the [Gauteng] people we will act accordingly.

"We have no time to waste . [we cannot take the] views of the people [for granted]. I want to assure the people that they must go to the panel and present their views about how they are affected by the introduction of e-tolls."

Makhura said that he and his executive - as part of their commitment to build an activist administration and radically change the way government works - had spent considerable time interacting with the people of the province to resolve problems.

"The view of the Gauteng government is that every problem that afflicts our people deserves to be addressed," he said.

Today Makhura will launch a "service delivery war room" which, he said, would radically change the way the government serves the people.