/ 24 May 2013

Cosatu could make high court bid for e-toll protest

Cosatu Could Make High Court Bid For E Toll Protest

"This is one of our options, because the decision is unconstitutional. We are looking at different options," Cosatu Gauteng secretary Dumisani Dakile said on Friday.

"One of the other options is to carry on [with the strike], but we are still discussing this."

On Thursday night, the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court dismissed Cosatu's application for a highway motorcade. It approached the court after failing to get permission from the Johannesburg metro police.

Cosatu spokesperson Patrick Craven said after the ruling they intended going ahead with the protest.

Provincial chair Phutas Tseki said on Friday the trade union federation would assess the court ruling.

"All we are going to do will be done in the confines of the law."

Planned motorcade
On Wednesday, Dakile said the motorcade was planned for the M1 north, N1 south, N12, and M2 north highways in Johannesburg.

In December, the N3 highway was briefly closed when protesting motorists parked their cars and danced during a similar drive-slow motorcade.

On April 11, the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) announced e-tolling would be rolled out in Gauteng within the next two months.

In April last year, the North Gauteng High Court granted the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) an interdict halting implementation of e-tolling pending a full judicial review.

Sanral and the treasury appealed the court order. In September, the Constitutional Court set aside the interim order. In December the High Court in Pretoria dismissed Outa's application to scrap e-tolling.

On January 25, the court granted Outa leave to take the matter to the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in Bloemfontein. The SCA hearing would take place in September. – Sapa