Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi confirmed during his State of the Province Address (Sopa) at the Johannesburg City Hall on Monday that the controversial e-tolls have been scrapped.
He said together with the Ministries of Finance and Transport, a joint announcement will be made in this regard.
“We are on the verge of agreeing on all matters that will finally allow us to gazette switching off the gantries and finalise matters related to debt repayment and money collected from paying customers, as well as funds not collected from non-paying customers,” he said.
Lesufi also touched on climate change, especially in Khutsong, a township on the West Rand, where sinkholes have been reported.
“Every day, we are inundated with emergency calls as houses are collapsing. We have now reached a stage where we have to declare a state of disaster in this Khutsong municipality,” said the premier in his first Sopa since he became premier late in 2022.
He also spoke extensively on the rolling blackouts, saying his administration has released R1.2-billion towards resolving the energy crisis.
The premier explained: “As Gauteng, we have been working on finding solutions to the energy crisis. We have established an energy crisis response team that engages with the national energy committee and working with local government and energy experts.
“We acted with urgency and convened the inaugural energy solutions expo to solicit views on what exists in the market with the idea of creating partnerships to assist in finding lasting solutions.
He added that six developers will be appointed to commence with the construction of an 800 megawatts solar farm in Merafong, a district municipality in West Rand, which should assist in the powering of hospitals and schools.
Lesufi said his administration will also engage with City Power and the Tshwane Rooiwal facility with an intention to support them to expand and generate more power.
“We will meet with the owners of Kelvin power station to establish a partnership with them to limit loadshedding,” he said.
“From next week, we will advertise a call for proposals for alternative suppliers of energy that can contribute to a solution of the energy crisis and the reindustrialisation of Gauteng.”
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