E-toll ruling a 'grave mistake' - ex-Sanral CEO
Two weeks after Sanral CEO Nazir Alli resigned amid controversy around the e-tolls saga, he says the North Gauteng High Court had made a grave mistake in granting an interim order halting the project.
He said the order by Judge Bill Prinsloo late last month has resulted in astronomical financial losses by the agency, notes a report in The Times. In an affidavit in support of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan's unusual application to the Constitutional Court this week to have the April court order reviewed and set aside, Alli said the longer the interdict is in place, the more money Sanral was losing. He stressed that uncertainty around e-tolling and the government agency made it practically impossible to borrow money. More concerning, however, is that all infrastructure projects have to be postponed indefinitely. The long-run consequence, said Alli, is that motorists will be required to pay more for the upgrade of the freeway system. Alli also agreed with Gordhan's submission that the courts should not be allowed to interfere with executive decisions. Full report in The Times