{"id":96491,"date":"2014-02-11T11:17:36","date_gmt":"2014-02-11T09:17:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/?p=96491"},"modified":"2014-02-11T11:51:11","modified_gmt":"2014-02-11T09:51:11","slug":"e-tolls-violating-human-rights-outa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/technology\/96491-e-tolls-violating-human-rights-outa.html","title":{"rendered":"E-tolls violating human rights: Outa"},"content":{"rendered":"

Outa<\/a> has released a press statement accusing Sanral of breaching seven of the entrenched human rights contained in Chapter Two of the Constitution with regards to e-tolls.<\/p>\n

\u201cSanral<\/a> again stands accused of dishonesty, lack of responsiveness, and failing to be open with users of Gauteng\u2019s e-tolled \u2018pay-ways\u2019,\u201d Outa said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a comprehensive 10,000 word complaint lodged with the Office of the Public Protector on behalf of citizens, Outa consultant and spokesperson John Clarke<\/a> accuses Sanral of breaching no less than seven of the entrenched human rights contained in Chapter Two of the Constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clarke said that the nature of the complaints which Outa offered to mediate to the Public Protector on behalf of the public suggested that the rights to Privacy, Access to Information, Dignity and Just Administrative Action were relevant.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the avalanche gained momentum and our learning curve steepened, the right to Freedom of Movement, Equality before the Law and even Freedom of Conscience began to crystallise,\u201d said Clarke.<\/p>\n

He has distilled ten \u201cstatements of grievance\u201d to substantiate the alleged violations with corroborating information from media sources and interviews with people visiting e-toll customer service centres.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe grievances present a formidable challenge for Sanral and the Transport authorities. Unless there is a radical turnaround this albatross will never fly,\u201d said Clarke.<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps the most worrying aspect concerns the allegations of violations of the right to privacy on the one hand, and the failure of Sanral and its agents to respect the constitutional right of access to truthful information on the other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur right to privacy is not been upheld, while our right of access to information is being denied. That\u2019s completely the wrong way around in the relationship that should prevail between citizens and the State,\u201d says Clarke.<\/p>\n

The report asks the Public Protector to in the first instance mediate these grievances to Sanral CEO Nazir Alli<\/a>, MEC for Transport Ismail Vadi<\/a> and Acting Director General of Transport Mr Mawethu Vilana<\/a> in the hope that a face-to-face meeting with the various anti e-toll lobby group will take place urgently.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to get beyond silly adversarial contest and self-deceiving media spin. Things are serious and the grievances are not a matter for media spokespersons to handle. There are critical line management issues at stake,\u201d said Clarke.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is time for Sanral executives and Transport authorities to face the truth of what has surfaced over the past eight weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Outa said it will place the submission to the Public Protector on its web site at www.outa.co.za<\/p>\n

The Ten Statements of Grievance<\/h3>\n