Voorsitter,
Minister, you are new and we see it as our duty to bring you up to speed about all the issues that you will have to deal with. The ANC calls these things challenges, we call them self-inflicted wounds and slow suicide, also known as ‘disrespecting the people of South Africa’. Despite this, we still try to be constructive and provide some advice.
Firstly, the much beloved Gauteng e-toll system: It is now abundantly clear that this wretched system has failed. With a very low compliance rate the tribe as spoken and voted SANRAL out. Nothing that SANRAL does will ever legitimize the system or force road users to pay. You can sue them, you can try to arrest them, the cards remain stacked against the ANC-government for there are plenty of resistance from within Parliament, and outside in the form of the brave organization called OUTA. Our advice is to scrap the system and use the toll technology for speed and road traffic management. At the very least you will serve the public by making the roads safer. As for the e-tolls, accept that it is dead.
The damage inflicted upon yourself in this respect and the country at large is considerable, as government has inadvertently taught the public how to revolt against taxes and the ANC. Expect more of this in the future.
Nog ‘n stelsel wat nie werk nie is AARTO. Die stelsel maak nie die paaie veiliger nie, die hoofdoelwit van dié wet. Die stelsel is so gebrekkig dat Fines4U onlangs ‘n hofbevel teen die Padverkeersoortredings-Agentskap (PVOA / RTIA) gekry het. Gaan lees gerus daardie uitspraak minister. Dit verduidelik in besonderhede hoe deurspek van foute die hele stelsel is en waarom julle nooit enige iemand aanspreeklikheid sal kan hou in terme van AARTO nie. Trouens die onwettige optrede is van so ‘n aard dat bykans elke AARTO-kennisgewing uitgereik vandag dag een waarskynlik onwettig en oninvorderbaar is. Die effek daarvan is dat al daardie miljarde Rande teruggeis kan word van die staat. Die verdere effek is dat roekelose motoriste nou straffeloos gelaat word en dat ons paaie in Gauteng onveiliger geword het. AARTO is ‘n klaaglike mislukking.
Then we need to discuss the Road Accident Fund. We have proof that there is huge mismanagement taking place in the Fund in order to steer it into a weakened state that will allow the proposed Road Accident Benefit Scheme (RABS) to be implemented in its place. The current system is not failing because it is inherently weak, but because it is supposed to fail to fit the agenda of certain persons in the Fund. RABS might save the Fund money, but it will happen at the expense of the claimants. The main problems identified are the following:
• It will limit the funds made available to a person who will need life-time care;
• The public health system will not be able to handle patients with care and rehabilitate them due to the poor service levels of the public health care system;
• It deprives claimants of independent legal advice and turns the RAF into lawyer and judge, as it decides on behalf of the claimant, what is the best way to deal with his or her compensation and rehabilitation. This will surely fail the test of independence in the Constitutional Court. It represents a serious conflict of interest as the RAF will want to give the claimant as little as possible.
• Lastly, the minister must appraise himself of how many claims prescribe in the hands of the RAF. The RAF is so dysfunctional that many claims prescribe thus opening the RAF up to legal attack. This presents a serious infraction on the human rights of claimants!
Minister leave the RAF as is, root out the inefficiencies and corruption and you will have a just system that works for claimants.
Minister, jy kan ons advies ignoreer, soos ons gewoond is. Maar uiteindelik gaan julle die prys betaal soos die mense opstaan teen julle. Die mense op die grond is nie dom nie, en belangriker nog, hulle is nie meer oningelig nie.
Dankie Voorsitter.
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