Deputy Speaker and hon members, it is interesting to observe that some of the members in the opposition benches do not use their constituency offices to explain the policies that are passed by this House as well as the Bills that are passed by this House. [Interjections.] The tolling of roads is a policy that was passed by this august House and mandated Sanral to implement that policy. [Interjections.] We cannot then turn around and say the tolling of roads had to be consulted on with communities when it is the responsibility of the very same members who passed that policy to use their constituency offices and inform their constituencies about the policies. [Interjections.]
The ANC has tasked me to speak on the "user pays" system and how that relates to sustainable development - a central pillar for building a developmental state. I will link that to today's debate on the allocation of R5,75 billion to Gauteng toll roads, announced by the Minister in his Budget Speech. [Interjections.] Due to limited time, I will focus on two issues: The first is the principles of the Masakhane Campaign and how they relate to sustainable development and the process of building a developmental state. The second is the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project, the implementation and funding thereof.
In February 1995, the first President of the democratic South Africa, Mr Nelson Mandela, launched the Masakhane Campaign as an ongoing campaign to raise awareness and facilitate a paradigm shift in society in relation to roads and responsibilities of the government, the private sector and society at large. It was also meant to instil a culture of responsibility in all sectors of our society in line with a sustainable development approach.
Three principles of the Masakhane Campaign relate to the debate today. Firstly, it is introducing a culture of payment for services rendered by government by those who can afford to pay. Secondly, there is the provision of services where they do not exist, the upgrading of inadequate and poor services and maintenance of adequate services to prevent them from degrading. Thirdly, the cross-subsidisation by the rich community of services rendered to the poor, because we believe that those who are rich were able to accumulate their riches by exploiting poor communities.
The Cabinet's intervention responds to issues raised by communities, the transport sector and the business sector about the fee structure that was initially announced by Sanral in March 2010. The allocation of R5,75 billion serves to reduce the costs from 66 cents per kilometre to 30 cents per kilometre for a light vehicle with an e-tag and 58 cents for a light vehicle without an e-tag. The reduced fee relates to the principle of affordability in payment for services and cross-subsidisation. All South Africans would, through the taxpayers' purse, pay the reduced cost of users of the Gauteng improved freeway.
The socioeconomic benefits of this project include less congestion on our roads, fewer road accidents, lower cost of goods because of less time spent on roads and the higher productivity of workers as a result of less stress due to the easy flow of traffic on world-class, improved freeways in the Gauteng province.
Uma uhamba kuleya migwaqo yase-Gauteng, ungathi uhamba ezitaladini zegolide esicula ngazo kuleli hubo elithi "Jerusalema Khaya lami engilithandayo". [Uhleko.]
Izithuthi ezisetshenziswa ngumphakathi - amabhasi namatekisi - azikhokhi lutho ngokusebenzisa le migwaqo esezingeni eliphezulu neyenza umuntu asheshe afike lapho eya khona. Lokhu kusho ukuthi abantu abampofu bakhokhelwa nguhulumeni nayilabo abadla izambane likapondo ngohlelo lwe- cross-subsidisation njengoba kucacisiwe kuMasakhane Campaign. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[When you are driving on the roads in Gauteng, it is as if you are driving on the golden streets which we sing about in the hymn "Jerusalema Khaya lami engilithandayo". [Laughter.]
The transport used by commuters - buses and taxis - pay nothing for using high quality roads that make travelling easy and fast. This means that the poor people are subsidised by the government and those who are well off are assisted through the cross-subsidisation programme as stipulated in the Masakane Campaign.] The upgrading of Gauteng road infrastructure is in line with the Masakhane Campaign of upgrading inadequate services. Although the Gauteng province identified a toll-roads network in 1996, long before the national Department of Transport conducted a survey on national household public transport in 2003, the intervention responds to many of the issues raised in that report and seeks to improve transport services in South Africa. This project should therefore be viewed as part of the entire Integrated Transport Infrastructure Development that is taking place in Gauteng, which includes the Gautrain, the BRT, the improvement of the O R Tambo Airport and the upgrading of the railway transportation system.
Sanral is a state entity, established in terms of the South African National Roads Agency Limited and National Roads Act, Act No 7 of 1998. Sanral is responsible for operations of nontoll roads, which are funded by government allocations, and is not allowed to borrow. It is also responsible for toll operations, which are divided into two types: those that are funded by Sanral and operated on its behalf and roads concessioned to private parties under public-private partnership. Therefore, this project is in line with that national policy.
The ANC government is building a developmental state based on the principles of sustainable development, where government and communities work together to build their country. The ANC supports the Additional Appropriation Bill.