City of Cape Town is entirely against tolling

Cape Town – The City of Cape Town is entirely against tolling and has taken a shotgun approach, the Western Cape High Court heard on Thursday.

Chris Loxton SC, for Sanral, has accused the City of mounting a shotgun approach against Sanral’s plans to implement a toll concession on parts of the N1 and N2 highways in the Cape Winelands.

“They have criticised every aspect of the process...the City places an unnecessary burden on the court,” Loxton said.

“What is a criticism on the merits of tolling is dressed up in the clothes of a review.”

The court was hearing the City's application to have Sanral's decision to toll sections of the highway into Cape Town reviewed and set aside.

According to Loxton the City was speculating on the extent and budget of the project despite the contract not having been concluded yet.

As part of Sanral’s heads of argument Loxton accused the City of making no attempt to recognise the benefits of tolls and “premised that Sanral is engaging on an irrational process”.

The maintenance of roads in the Cape Winelands will become exponentially more expensive in the absence of upgrades, said Loxton.

Loxton further challenged the City’s suggestion that Sanral undertake upgrades and maintenance (excluding a private company) at a lower cost to Cape Town residents.
“If this process is followed the road will not get money,” he said.

On Wednesday Geoff Budlender SC, for the City, presented twelve points which were not considered by the minister of transport and Sanral in its decision-making process.

According to Budlender the financial viability of the contract, the affordability of toll tariffs, and the impact of traffic diversions and attractions were not considered.

According to Budlender the issues "were left floating".

About 180km of highway will be tolled should the Winelands Toll Highway project go ahead.a

Brakes on stolen vehicles

Cape Town - A pair of teenagers were among seven suspects arrested when four stolen cars were retrieved by the City of Cape Town’s law enforcement officers on Tuesday.
Mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith said the seizures should “serve as a warning to criminals who think they will not be caught”.
Two young women, aged 19 and 15, were arrested at a vehicle checkpoint in Philippi after the VIN number was found to match a car stolen in Durbanville earlier this year, council officials confirmed in a statement.
Later, a grey Toyota Etios without a rear number plate was pulled over on the N1 near Brackenfell by Ghost Squad members, who patrol in unmarked vehicles.
The driver was found not to have a licence and the registration number matched a vehicle stolen in Delft.
Two women and a man were arrested. They had a 5-year-old child in the vehicle with them.
That same day in Belhar, a traffic officer noticed a black Opel Corsa hatchback driving recklessly, resulting in a chase.
The driver eventually hit a pavement and collided with an electricity box before trying to run away, city officials confirmed.
Passers-by helped the officer catch the suspect.
The vehicle owner was tracked down to his Durbanville home and only realised the car had been stolen when the officers arrived on his doorstep.
A fourth car was seized when Metro Police officers saw a Toyota Cressida drive into a wall in Hanover Park.
The occupants fled the scene and the officers managed to nab one of the suspects, who was charged with being in possession of a stolen vehicle.
Smith applauded the officers’ efforts.
“It is proof of how a seemingly routine stop or vehicle checkpoint can expose some very serious crimes,” he said.`

Tammy Petersen, News24

R1000 Reward to help stop crime - Cape Town Police

Cape Town - Blowing the whistle against crime could make you R1 000 richer.
The City of Cape Town’s Safety and Security Directorate has finalised a standard operating procedure around its informant reward system after the reward policy was adopted in mid-2013.
This policy makes provision for payment of up to R1 000 for information that will lead to an arrest or the successful confiscation or recovery of stolen goods or contraband, council said in a statement.
Mayoral committee member for safety and security, JP Smith, said he was aware that the payment of informants was a hot topic for debate and that such systems are open to abuse and mismanagement.
“It is for this reason that we have put stringent measures in place and also placed a cap on the reward amount.
As far as I am concerned, R1 000 is a small price to pay if it helps us put criminals behind bars and recover stolen goods that cost us millions of rands to replace every year in any case.”
The first payment was made two years ago for a tip-off which led to the arrest of a Steenberg scrapyard owner for possession of stolen items.
But Smith said while the policy is two years old, it has not yet been exploited fully.
“The standard operating procedure is very clear on who qualifies, how claims should be processed, and who has the final say on any request for reward. So if anyone thinks this is an easy way to make a buck, they are quite mistaken.”
Payment of the reward will be considered if the information leads to an arrest, the confiscation of stolen or illegal goods, or the handing in of illegal or stolen goods.
A docket would have to be opened by police and a case number will be a prerequisite.
Payment will also be considered for information that leads to the promotion of good governance by enabling council to achieve substantial savings, recover monies, or to implement measures which substantially improve the manner in which it conducts business.
Requests for reward cannot come directly from the public and must be motivated for by a City staff member who received the information with sufficient proof, Smith added.
“These requests will then be considered by a special committee, with the requisite paper trail for purposes of auditing and to ensure transparency and the integrity of the process.
“No people under the age of 18 will qualify for the reward system and no City employees will be considered for rewards.”

Tammy Petersen, News24