Things are heating up again between the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) and the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (OUTA) with some fresh revelations that OUTA says prove that there has been systemic lack of planning and mismanagement at SANRAL. OUTA has filed a fresh complaint with the Public Prosecutor with this new information which is attributes to a whistleblower at Kapsch, an Austrian toll-road system builder involved in South Africa’s e-tolling system. Although understandably reluctant to reveal the name of this whistleblower, OUTA has offered plenty of details about what this person has told them. Beleaguered motorists in Gauteng will no doubt be hoping that these fresh allegations result in some kind of tolling relief. – FD
GUGULETHU MFUPHI:  An e-toll whistle-blower has confirmed some of OUTA’s suspicions. OUTA Spokesperson, John Clarke, joins us on the line now for more. John, could you perhaps walk us through this story – the whistle-blower?
JOHN CLARKE:  Well, I’d like the story to evolve from within the relationship with the Public Protector…to not get too specific about the allegations and the content. I think what it is…the story is well known. I was sitting, working for OUTA, processing complaints as they were pouring in from people for one thing and another, and forming an impression, which showed that the system really was in a state of crisis that OUTA had predicted it would be during the court process. Amongst all these emails came one, a fairly lengthy one, which painted a picture – it was about six weeks ago – and it was spot on and it was coming from somebody inside the system. I’m a social worker and I’m very cautious to not be caught up too quickly into acting impulsively. I built a relationship and we got to a point where I felt this was not a Trojan horse or a disinformation campaign – it was authentic – and offered to mediate to the Public Protector as an impartial body, a complaint. Of course, we’re very ‘daggers drawn’ between OUTA and SANRAL, and it’s a very adversarial relationship. I’m very keen that we get beyond that because this whole situation is extremely serious, it can have a huge legacy down the road for the country, and it’s just important that we generate some light rather than more and more heat, so that’s where we are.
ALEC HOGG: Tell me…the male/female/person whom you haven’t identified: they work or worked for the Austrian company Kapsch, which is right in the middle of the whole process. Is this person still employed there?
JOHN CLARKE:  Yes, as far as I understand. I had a conversation this morning with them, and there are issues. We’re very concerned that we actually try to get everybody’s interests fairly expressed and put on the table. The Public Protector has tried to do that and she’s excelled herself in dealing with the Nkandla matter, so let’s hope that we can actually establish the same process here.
ALEC HOGG: What’s come out so far in the City Press over the weekend was that the e-toll system that Gauteng-ers are having to carry was designed in fact, for the whole country. Now, why is that relevant?
JOHN CLARKE:  Yes, this is what has concerned me because I’ve been working really on chasing SANRAL, and on their tail for projects on the Wild Coast, KwaZulu Natal, as you know Alec, and the Western Cape (we’ve had issues there). When I met Nazir Allie in 2006, you could see he was quite fascinated – and so was I for that matter – at the potential, which electronic tolling has. I had just recently gotten back from London and we had seen how well the Congestion Tax had worked to clean up the inner city there, so I was in a sense, open to the idea of the technology. At the same time, I was very conscious that there were many job involved with people using manual tolling processes. It’s not a particularly satisfying job, sitting in those types of booths. I was concerned because so often we are seduced by technological ideas.
@alechogg That seems to be par for the course, they take their lead from No 1
— Colin Dennis (@colindennis1970) April 1, 2014
ALEC HOGG: John, we’re running out of time here. Just give me the bottom line on this. What are the Gauteng motorists being asked to carry, that they shouldn’t be?
JOHN CLARKE:  Well, this is not as much from the source of the whistle-blower, but just from what I understand to be the breakdown from the courts, is that centre at Midrand was basically worth R2.5bn and it was designed on the assumption that it would be a national program. Now that, for me, is a concern. It if had been openly discussed and suggested, that would have been a different story, but my concern is that there was an agenda that was basically being sneaked past us again. The biggest concern that my source confirmed for us, is that there was no proper consultative process, as they would have done in other countries where Kapsch has been involved, in ensuring that the public are behind it. For me, that’s actually what was more important.
ALEC HOGG:Â Once again, confirming some of the issues OUTA has had over this period,
