The Gauteng e-tolling debate is picking up pace again and it seems as if the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) and government are scrambling to spin the benefits of the controversial system any which way they can. Even if what they are saying is completely preposterous –more so than before.

Just recently, the state-owned roads agency lashed out at e-toll critics, saying that the system ultimately favours the poor and that Gauteng’s middle-class will ultimately bear most of the cost.

According to Sanral, “government’s commitment to the poor and its continuing attempts to shield the poor and the workers from even more price hikes can best be exemplified by the fact that the highest earning quintile will bear 94% of the toll fees and when the second quintile is added, thsi figure goes up to 99%”.

To drive the point home, Sanral’s communications manager Vusi Mona was quoted as saying: “What we see, rather, is that those who complain are expressing middle-class views: the quintiles that will indeed bear most of the cost – and can afford to.”

Apart from the obvious stupidity of Sanral’s statements, its attempt to spin e-tolling as a system that will punish the middle class, while saving the poor, is arguably nothing less than desperate and hugely disingenuous.

Firstly, any additional costs – no matter how nominal – cannot be considered as favouring the poor. Thus, to spin any expense as favouring those who already have little would require a little more imagination than this.

Secondly, I am baffled as to why Sanral would take such an arrogant and antagonistic approach to the middle class, which – by the roads agency’s own admission – is the cash cow that will be milked dry once e-tolling comes into effect.

Logic dictates that if this “highest-earning quintile” is to bear the brunt of Gauteng’s open-road tolling system, surely a little bit of sucking up should be done to this group. Perhaps a little more encouragement and positive marketing should be targeted at the middle class, which, by the way, is already carrying the majority of tax burden, among other such niceties.

To confound the matter, sweeping assumptions that the middle class can afford to carry the e-toll burden – which automatically means it should – are as dangerous as they are misguided.

Does Sanral actually know – or care – how many middle class households are barely hanging on to stay in this bracket? Does it know, or care, for how many over-stretched households this could be the tipping point?

But I guess it doesn’t matter. Anyone who becomes “poor” due to e-tolling will then be benefiting all the way, right?

Happy reading!

Martin Czernowalow