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The Tanzanian opposition has questioned the recent move by the government to rename the electoral commission. Gauteng province, home to South Africa's major cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria, has officially scrapped tolls on freeways, ending more than a decade of public defiance.
Effective Friday, the National Electoral Commission (NEC) will officially be known as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), according to a statement issued by government spokesperson Mobhare Matinyi. The e-tolls were permanently disconnected at 23:59 local time on Thursday. Motorists will no longer be charged to use freeways in the province.
It said the change of name aligns with the implementation of the newly enacted electoral laws. Gauteng introduced e-tolls in December 2013, charging users of highways linking Johannesburg and Pretoria as a way to generate funds for developing and maintaining road infrastructure.
But opposition leader Tundu Lissu said the Tanzanian constitution recognises the poll agency as "electoral commission", without the "independent". The tolls were however met with criticism and defiance, and many motorists often refused to pay the charges.
In an X post, Mr Lissu urged the country's judges and lawyers to help explain if the change of the name was legitimate or whether it was just "political fraud" by the ruling CCM party. "In its current form, the e-toll system was unaffordable," Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said in an earlier statement, explaining the reason for scrapping the tolls.
Critics argue that despite the rebranding, the commission remains susceptible to political influence from the ruling party. He added that removing the charges would bring "much needed relief to the people of Gauteng who have had to bear the brunt of paying e-tolls".
The renaming comes in the wake of a recent legislative amendment aimed at reorganising the functions and structure of the electoral agency in a bid to enhance its efficiency and transparency. Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga said that motorists with outstanding fees are expected to clear it, but the ministry does not yet have a mechanism for enforcing the payments.
The Tanzanian parliament recently approved the electoral bill which was subsequently signed into law by President Samia Suluhu Hassan, local media reported. But some civil society groups that championed for the abolition of the tolls have urged motorists with outstanding debt not to pay.
The East African country is set to hold a general election next year.
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