The Congress of South African Trade Unions in North West, with its Affiliates and the Alliance, are going back to the expensive toll gate at Swartruggens to demand that the tolls be reduced to make it affordable for the poor motorists who use the N4 road.
We are going back to the toll gate after we deadlocked with our own government on the attitude of the officials of the National Department of Transport in the office of the acting DG, and some of those who are beneficiaries of the N4 toll gate, which charges R75 for the poor working class while the capitalists and farmers are paying from R3 to R17 per small car.
The task team subcommittee which was established by the Minister of Transport has been delayed by officials of government since it was established to do certain work delegated by the broader task team.
The task team was established to look to the following issues:
• Reducing the toll
• Extending the radius discount to cover Rustenburg, Brits, Zeerust, Swartruggens, Koster and Mafikeng
• The alternative road
• The economic development of our province, in particular the local communities next to the N4 road
The attitude of government officials of our National Department, of delaying a decisions on the solutions is highly disappointing and we will have to take action against the expensive toll gate so that our government can start taking the poor working class seriously.
We are convinced that our government can only act when we take action. When we are acting properly we are undermined by our own government, and those employed to implement the resolutions of our ruling party.
We are going back on the 24th October 2014 from 14h00 starting from the Swartruggens police station to the expensive toll gate on the N4.
We will be joined by the masses of the ANC supporters and the rest of the communities.
We call on all white farmers, and all those who are the N4 road users to support our campaign calling for the toll gate to be reduced.
A meeting on 22nd October 2014 could not produce any results due to the conduct of the National Government official’s attitude and this has been going on for some time.
We will be asking the Minister, Deputy Minister and the Portfolio Committee members to intervene.
We call on the minister to investigate the attitude of those officials, and those who are benefiting from the toll fees we are paying in the North West.
- See more at: http://www.cosatu.org.za/show.php?ID=9676#sthash.ma47qPCk.dpuf
Issued by COSATU