Sanral loses appeal to toll Western Cape roads

22 September 2016 1:39 PM

The Supreme Court of Appeal today ruled that the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) may not toll parts of N1 and N2 in Cape winelands.

Sanral was appealing an earlier ruling in the Western Cape High Court.

Councellor for the Mayoral Committee Member for Transport in the City of Cape Town, Brett Herron, joins The Midday Report's Stephen Grootes on the line to discuss the implications of the decision.

We welcome the ruling. It's been a long path. We declared the inter governmental dispute in early 2012.
— Brett Herron, MAYCO for Transport

Four and a half years later, the SCA has given an unanimous judgment setting aside Sanral's decision to toll the N1 and N2 and declaring the process unlawful and improper.

Sanral may decide to reopen the process again, says Heron.

One would hope given their experience in Gauteng, where there is huge public resistance to the tolling of existing roadways, and the implications of several court judgments that we've had in our favour... that they would rather approach us as we have invited them to do so.
— Brett Herron, MAYCO for Transport

Herron says the City and Sanral have different views on which road infrastructure upgrades are necessary, and hope they can discuss a way forward.

He says the impact of tolling on the economy, in particular manufacturing and agricultural sectors, would be hard felt.

But more especially it would have a severe effect on the poor who still live on the outskirts of the city, due to old apartheid spatial planning and use those roads daily to work.

Listen to the interview below:

Written by: Barbara Friedman