Finance minister Tito Mboweni has been summoned by the ANC in Gauteng to explain his position on e-tolls.
Mboweni told the Sunday Times from Kigali, Rwanda, yesterday that he had been invited to address the Gauteng provincial executive committee after he and premier David Makhura's public spat on Twitter.
"I look forward to a fruitful conversation in the best interests of the country and province," Mboweni said. He was not in a "spat" with the Gauteng ANC but had merely stated government policy on e-tolls.
Yesterday, President Cyril Ramaphosa publicly rebuked Mboweni and Makhura for taking their disagreement on the matter to social media.
Ramaphosa, through his spokesperson Khusela Diko, said the two leaders' public disagreement was "most unfortunate".
"The president regards the public exchanges between minister Mboweni and the Gauteng provincial government as most unfortunate. As leaders, they have failed to conduct themselves in a manner befitting the stature of their offices and the high regard which society accords them, and this the president finds deeply regrettable," Diko told the Sunday Times yesterday.
Ramaphosa was reacting to a flurry of tweets that Mboweni posted since Thursday on the principle of "user pay" to voice his support for the electronic tolling of Gauteng highways. Mboweni was responding to Makhura's state of the province speech in which the premier reiterated the province's desire to see e-tolls scrapped.
"We remain determined to ensure that e-tolls are not part of the future of our province. We are even prepared to contribute something as the provincial government to ensure the e-tolls are scrapped. There is no turning back," Makhura said on Monday.
Mboweni responded to the speech in a series of tweets during the week, reminding the premier and the province of the user-pays principle that underpins the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project.
Things heated up on Friday night when Makhura took to Twitter to respond to Mboweni, reminding him that it was the president and not the finance minister who had higher authority on this issue.
"I have referred the e-tolls matter to President Cyril Ramaphosa for final resolution. My engagements with him and [transport] Minister Fikile Mbalula have been positive. Minister Tito Mboweni can continue to tweet as he cooks; he is a Minister, not the President," Makhura fired off in a tweet.
Twenty minutes later, Mboweni responded: "I am certain the Premier of Gauteng knows that you have to be careful before you pick a fight with a National Minister of Finance, the one who controls the allocations. I would be careful if I were him. USER/CONSUMER PAYS!"
Other ANC Gauteng leaders then entered the fray in defence of Makhura.
Diko said the president had mandated Mbalula as transport minister to work with Mboweni and Makhura to find a solution to the matter. She said the "user pays principle" remained a policy of the government but "the electronic tolling system … had proven to have challenges in its current form".
"Accordingly, therefore, the president expects the ministers concerned, following consultations with the Gauteng government, to table to cabinet proposed solutions by the end of August 2019," she said.
Mboweni said he was glad Ramaphosa had reiterated the user-pays principle. "The president should be given space to reflect on the issue," Mboweni said.
Makhura's spokesperson, Vuyo Mhaga, said they preferred the president to have the last word on the matter and would not be responding.
Contacted for comment, Mbalula said though he did not want to be involved in public exchanges, the issue of e-tolls was important and had to clarified. "I will hold a press conference on Tuesday and update the nation on the matter," he said.
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