News: March 2012

Africartoons Editorial

Cartoonists have joined thousands of voices in protest against the e-Tolling system, which culminates this week in a one day nationwide strike, led by COSATU, against the toll and the practice of labour broking. The protest is likely to find sympathy across the entire political spectrum, since the e-Toll will impact on everyone, no matter what their income bracket is - but particularly the poor.The suspicion that a large percentage of the collected tolls will end up in the pockets of tenderpreneurs or as other wasteful expenditure (rather than go to infrastructure) has bolstered project's resistance. These cartoons go back a year, when the e-Toll was first proposed, then put on hold so as not to lose votes in the municipal elections, to now, when the government has insisted it will go ahead despite the opposition. Will these protests make any difference? Probably not, if one looks at how public opinion on other issues has been disregarded. But at least - as with the Secrecy Bill - our loud objection will have been tabled, for a time when those who paid no notice to it will be held to account.