Cosatu's e-toll protest gathers momentum
2013-02-11 12:06
Pretoria - A convoy of Cosatu protesters brought traffic to
a standstill in central Pretoria on Monday as a drive-slow against e-tolls
gathered momentum.
The fleet of around 100 vehicles left Marabastad on the
outskirts of Pretoria before 10:00 and headed into the city centre.
The protesters got out of their vehicles at the department
of transport and started singing and dancing.
Some were blowing vuvuzelas and waving placards.
Some of the placards read: "Stop highway robbery, smash
the e-tolls". Others read, "reclaim our nation's roads, demolish
e-tolls, not people's houses".
The march started at the old Putco bus depot in Pretoria's
Marabastad in the morning and will head onto the N1 towards Johannesburg.
Last month, Congress of SA Trade Unions provincial secretary
Dumisani Dakile said the action would be carried out in other provinces as well
to ensure it became a "national act".
On 25 January, the North Gauteng High Court granted the
Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) leave to take the matter to the
Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein.
Outa had applied to appeal a 13 December 2012 judgment,
which dismissed its bid to have the electronic tolling of Gauteng's major roads
scrapped.
Dakile said Cosatu hoped renewed protests would elicit a
response from government.
- Are you there? Send us your eyewitness accounts and photos.
- SAPA
