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Kassaye Dametie
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. BBC News Amharic
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. Ethiopia's first ever sexual violence registration system is in the
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. works and set to start operations next year, the government has said.
The tolls were however met with criticism and defiance, and many motorists often refused to pay the charges. The system which aims to
"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. prevent and respond to sexual violence against women and children is hoped to
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". make an impact in a country where prosecuting gender-based violence is a major challenge.
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. According to a 2016 survey, 23% of Ethiopian women have experienced physical
But some civil society groups that championed the abolition of the tolls have urged motorists with outstanding debt not to pay. violence and 10% have experienced sexual violence. People often underreport such experiences so the true number is likely to be higher.
The anticipated system
will hold sex offenders accountable even after they serve time for their
crimes.
When it's operational, it
will exclude registered sex offenders from working in schools, orphanages and
other children's institutions, the women's rights and protection executive in the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs Seleshi Tadesse told BBC News Amharic.
With a budget of around 10m birr ($176,000; £140,000) due to be contributed by various
institutions, the national sex offence crime registry is proposed to have three
types of pages, including a public page.
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