Hon Deputy Speaker, first of all, I would like to thank the chairperson of the parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport for affording me and my party an opportunity to make an amending submission to the Bill. [Interjections.]
Although we did not get agreement on all of our submissions, at least one important change made it through, which requires disclosure to the public of all economic and traffic impact studies made by the authorities before they are invited to comment on any proposed tolling system.
However, the chair was not so happy when we later noted that we are still very much opposed to the Gauteng e-tolling system.
As has been stated before so many times by us, economists and the public, the e-tolling system is not an effective manner to increase revenue in order to pay for road upgrades and maintenance.
Hierdie wetsontwerp het steeds, soos in die komitee voorgel, vele gebreke. In die eerste plek is die deurhaal van die toepassing van die nasionale kredietwet op toltransaksies problematies, aangesien die kredietwet self gewysig moes gewees het ten einde sy jurisdiksie in te perk.
Ons het egter 'n verdere probleem ontdek en dit is dat die parlementre Portefeuljekomitee oor Handel en Nywerheid, wat oorsig oor die kredietwet het en die nasionale kredietreguleerder self nooit deur die vervoerkomitee ingelig is van die beoogde verandering van die kredietwet nie.
Die voorsitter en sekretaris van die nasionale kredietreguleerder het persoonlik aan my erken dat hulle geen kennis dra van die verandering en nooit gekonsulteer is nie. Hierdie is 'n verbreking van Rel 249(1) van die Nasionale Vergadering se Rels en maak die wetsontwerp aanvegbaar in die hof. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[This Bill, as submitted to the committee, still has many shortcomings. In the first instance, making the National Credit Act inapplicable to toll transactions is problematic, in view of the fact that the credit Act had to be amended in order to restrict its jurisdiction.
We have, however, discovered another problem, and that is that the parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry, which has oversight of the credit Act, and the National Credit Regulator have never been informed by the transport committee of the intended amendment to the credit Act.
The chairperson and the secretary of the National Credit Regulator have personally admitted to me that they have no knowledge of the amendment and have not been consulted. This is a breach of Rule 249(1) of the National Assembly's Rules and makes the Bill contestable in court.]
We also believe this Bill should partially be a section 77 or money Bill as only the Minister of Finance can impose a levy on the public. It was acknowledged by the state and parliamentary legal advisers that a toll is akin to a levy and that this Bill contemplates a public relationship with the state's subjects. The logic is thus that the imposition of toll tariffs, in terms of this Bill and the existing South African National Roads Agency Limited Act, is totally unconstitutional.
Die VF Plus het 'n skrywe aan die agb Speaker hieroor gerig en gevra om die wysigingswetsontwerp van vandag se tweede debat te onttrek, ten einde hierdie probleem aan te spreek. Dit is egter nie toegestaan nie en daarom sal ons nou 'n verto in di verband aan die President rig. Indien dit faal, sal ons saam met ander rolspelers die grondwetlikheid van di wetsontwerp en die Sanral-wet in die hof moet toets. Die feit is, as dit van ons afhang, sal die Gauteng e-tolstelsel en enige ander tolstelsel daarn nooit aanskakel nie. Ons sal aanhou stry teen hierdie onreg. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[The FF Plus wrote a letter to the hon Speaker about this and asked that the amending Bill be withdrawn from today's second debate, in order for this problem to be addressed. It was, however, not granted and therefore we will now make a representation to the President in this regard. If that is unsuccessful, we will have to test the constitutionality of this Bill and the Sanral Act in court, together with other role-players. The fact is that if it is up to us, the Gauteng e-tolling system and any other tolling system thereafter will never come into operation. We will continue to fight against this injustice.]
Let me finish by expressing my party's utter disgust at the tax burden laid upon the public to finance this government's incompetent and corrupt service delivery. You will in future see more tax revolts. And should you ever get to switch on the e-toll system in Gauteng, you will find that it will have no legitimacy in the eyes of the public and that it will be ignored in a mass civil disobedience drive unrivalled in the history of this country. The public will go to war against this government and, rest assured, you will lose. I thank you.