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Today, a reply to a DA parliamentary question has finally revealed the names of 27 out of the supposed 33 subcontractors involved with the Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) consortium – the core contractor appointed by the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) to roll out the e-toll project in Gauteng.

This is a step in the right direction.

In the interest of transparency around this project, the DA has been calling for these names to be made public for some time now. SANRAL and ETC initially refused to identify the sub-contractors involved in the project.

The DA will scrutinise these names and look closely for any political connections that may have influenced the appointment of these subcontractors.

In addition, I will be asking follow-up questions in Parliament to ascertain the value of each sub-contract. I will also be questioning why only 27 names have been revealed as it has been reported that 33 subcontractors were involved in this project.

Making information publicly available promotes transparency and good governance. In future, it would be useful for the cloak of secrecy around contractors for massive infrastructure projects to be lifted from the outset. We also encourage government to follow suit in terms of other contracts it has so far been silent on; for example the Gautrain contract.

The DA will continue to push for transparency and openness in government in order to ensure that contracts are awarded on merit and the capacity to deliver, and not influenced by political patronage.