JOHANNESBURG - Transport Minister Barbara Creecy will not support an increase in the fuel levy while she is in office.
She said motorists are already under too much strain from fuel prices, and the focus should instead be on fixing the Road Accident Fund.
And that means improving its finances, reforming the law and reducing the number of road deaths.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy is digging her heels in.
"As long as I'm in this job, we will not apply to National Treasury for an increase in the fuel levy. I think consumers are under enough pressure. What we have to do is sort out the mismanagement that has happened at the Road Accident Fund for a long time.
“You would know that last year we disbanded the board of the RAF. We've had an interim board in place. I have just received cabinet concurrence to appoint a new CEO. And I think that there are really three things that we have to do at the Road Accident Fund.
“First of all, we've got to sort out the finances and the management so that we stop wasting money and we stop doing dramatic things, which happened under the tenure of the previous CEO
“Secondly, we have to reform the Road Accident Fund Bill so that we have a defined schedule of benefits and we introduce a form of no-fault system so that were not wasting masses of money on endless legal cases that just ramp up the state's contingent liability.
“With a defined scheduled of benefits, it then means that there's a more equitable use of the fund's money, where you don't have to have a fancy lawyer in order to claim your benefits. And this is a fund that is funded by the tax pan. It's completely outrageous to me that people can demand exorbitant amounts of money while other people are not receiving any benefits whatsoever.
“Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, we also have to get the number of road deaths and road accidents down so that there is less demand on the fund."