It’s time for transparency! For years, OUTA has been trying to uncover the profits made by the three major toll concessionaires (N3TC, Bakwena and TRAC) on toll contracts, but our requests for information under the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) were ignored or refused.  That’s why OUTA took the matter to court, challenging the PAIA refusals.

It is OUTA’s view that public-private partnerships have their place and can offer immense value in the state’s infrastructure development and maintenance. However, the value of returns for the private companies should be transparent and publicly available. That’s why OUTA is fighting for transparency. And last week, we had a win for civil society in this battle – the Pretoria High Court ruled in our favour, ordering Sanral to file its heads of argument in OUTA’s application requesting access to the N3TC toll concession contracts and all financial records on the 30-year concession.

In line with the court order, SANRAL served their heads of argument on 6 February. The delay in filing the heads was completely uncalled for and we could have been much closer to transparency than we are now. Nevertheless, we can now proceed with the main application for the disclosure of the records. Don’t miss out on this important development in the fight for transparency. Read more here.