POLL | E-tolls are here to stay, but will you pay for them as you do bread?

Finance minister Tito Mboweni has maintained his stance on e-tolls, saying just as South Africans pay for bread, they must fork out for the controversial system.

Mboweni said this on Wednesday, when he delivered his mid-term budget policy statement. The decision not to scrap e-tolls came after various considerations by the government, he said.

This means Gauteng premier David Makhura has lost the e-tolls battle.

TimesLIVE reported in July that Makhura said his government would contribute towards settling the billions owed by motorists.

“We as the provincial government are prepared to put some money where our mouth is. We are prepared to contribute some money to deal with the debt to show how serious we are on this matter,” he said.

Not going to happen, said Mboweni. “People must appreciate the service provided and just like they go to Pick n Pay to buy bread, they will pay for the use of this service.”

The minister added that roads were deteriorating and the government did not have money to fix them.

LISTEN | 2019 Medium-term budget policy statement highlights