Outa has announced it is willing to help government resolve the e-tolls impasse following a social media spat between Finance Minister Tito Mboweni and Gauteng Premier David Makhura over the province's decision to reject e-tolls. According to a Polity report, Outa said government could have used the fuel levy to fund the swelling Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) debt as proposed years ago. ‘Early in the e-toll saga, Outa suggested that the bonds for the GFIP should be funded in the same way that Sanral funds over 18 000km of its non-tolled network, through allocations from Treasury and if needed, via a ring-fenced fuel levy increase of 10c per litre at the time of launch. Had this been done at that time, the capital value of the project would have already been raised. However, government’s determination to legitimise a grossly ineffective and irrational scheme has resulted in billions of rand in debt for Sanral,’ the organisation said in a statement.