Drivers in Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown and Western Rural headquarters, Waterloo will avoid Hastings tollgate owing to a high toll tax.
The new increase was recently announced by the public works minister, Denis Sandy in a press briefing held at the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Government however made multiple attempts for Sierra Leoneans to believe that the increase came from the Chinese contractor, China Seventh Railway Group (CSRG). According to a 2017 agreement, CSRG takes charge of the road for 25 years after completing its expansion and construction with drivers paying small amounts of money for its use.
The increase has, by over 100%, surpassed the old price, a move that annoys drivers plying the Freetown-Waterloo route. Tax for Trucks shot up from Le170, 000 (one hundred and seventy-thousand Leones) to Le750, 000 (seven hundred and fifty thousand Leones), and prices for mini buses and light cars have also risen.
The contractor, the China Seventh Railway Group (CSRG) owns and operates three tollgates collecting different taxes for different vehicles each trip with the Hastings tollgate generating the highest. Hasting community in the Western Rural district is 15 miles, east of the capital, Freetown.
Reports say the gate could make as much as Le70m a day, but such amount would fall down sharply when the drivers avoid the gate to save their incomes. The contractor does not realise much from the other tollgates as compared to the main gate at Hastings community.
The situation is dangerous in the face of a sky-rocketed fuel price of Le30, 000 (thirty thousand Leones for a litre with fear that it might further rise.
Prices of vehicles and its accessories have risen sharply leaving drivers with little options as dozens have quit the trade. A Waterloo driver, Alimamy Kamara appears to have been the worst affected and is sure to take part in the boycott as he explains how the snub of the toll gate would look like in coming days.
“On a daily basis, drivers from waterloo would stop half-way at Rogbangba community very close to the Hastings tollgate while those from Freetown would stop at Hastings junction,” he told Nightwatch press as he hopes and prays for a change of ride.
Mohamed Kargbo, a Freetown driver also vented out similar concerns about the high increase which, he said, would badly affect them. Kargbo resides in Freetown but plies the Freetown-Waterloo highway and does not hesitate taking part in any action to reverse the trend.
“I will support colleague drivers to drive away from the Hastings tollgate since it is not in our interest,” he said. For other drivers, snub of the gate is not enough but a sit-at-home would provide the right answer.
According to an old driver, Amadu Turay, no driver should go out on the street as a way of resisting government’s tough measures on the toll. Turay’s stance seems to have rhymed with the call by Native Consortium’s Executive Director, Edmond Abu who said drivers should sit at home and not take to the streets.
Other drivers however disagree with those calling for sit-at-home as they see street protest as the only way out. Drivers are not alone in the protest as CSRG employees also threaten a sit-at-home if their salaries and other welfare issues are not addressed.
However, none of the employees have spoken to this press, but the sit-at-home is expected next Friday when the new increase will take effect. The workers’ threats to protest have been repeatedly made before government announced the high tax rate.
They have been complaining, on several occasions, that their pay is little compared to their work. They endure the heat of the day and the cold of the night at the toll gate, but their take home packages could not take them home.
The toll increase is much dangerous as it comes at a time government restricts commercial vehicles from using ‘New Road,’ the main highway to the city centre. Between 6am and 10pm and from 4pm to 10pm in the same day, the main road is exclusively reserved for government buses fondly called ‘WAKA FINE’ which means walk decently on the streets.
The restrictions also brought about grumblings among drivers who were even contemplating a street protest. Despite rumblings of either a sit-at-home or a take to the streets, government is not moved as the deal seems to have been sealed and settled.
The increase is part of government effort to expand its revenue base in the face of economic hard times as development partners hold back funds for development projects.
Besides the toll gate, other sectors of the economy especially income-generating units have also seen government’s rapacious hunts by way of tax increases to make for financial support Sierra Leone has missed out from the international community.
As if acting in hysteria, government recently announced that house owners in Freetown must pay for boreholes and water taps in their compounds, but a fierce public backlash has forced government to reverse its decision.
Even schools and colleges have been hit hard as fees have shot up beyond imagination, a complete disappointment for parents who had hoped to see the Free Quality Education continues to this day. Government’s open hustling tactics started years back as seen in the stoppage of free calls and promotions which the people used to enjoy in the past, stay loyal to the telecoms and consume much of their services.
Purchasing airtime in large amounts also means a boost to the companies particularly their economies of scale. Business sources however told this press that money saved when the free calls and the promotions halted was reserved for government.
To put more money in the purse, according to sources, government is also responsible for the rapid price hikes for petroleum and diesel products while they remain low in neighbouring Guinea and Liberia. No gainsaying that Sierra Leone is in a state of dilemma as government wanted to govern but with scant resources amid funding cut, and giving up power means a different thing.
Sierra Leone’s development partners, the US, EU, UK, Commonwealth, AU, ECOWAS and others have withdrawn cooperation and financial support for the Sierra Leone Government owing to election rigging. The June 24, 2023 polls through which the incumbent, Julius Maada Bio became President represents one of the biggest travesties of elections as the Chief Electoral Commissioner, Mohamed Kenewui Konneh announced the results without producing a voters’ register.
He also rebuffed calls by the international community and the people of Sierra Leone to publish the results by polling stations and districts for the sake of fair play. When placed under pressure, the election boss is quick to say that Sierra Leone is a “sovereign state” and ECSL an “independent entity” and its powers can be questioned by no one.
The resistance continues even in the face of an Election Investigation Committee also known as the tripartite committee set up to look into irregularities of the June polls. At a recent press briefing held at New Brookfields Hotel in Freetown, Governance Advisor, Dr Emmanuel Gaima was blunt to say that ECSL would not submit to the probe as the committee lacks coercive powers.
“If ECSL appears at the Election Investigation Committee, it will do so only by moral suasion since the committee cannot force them,” he told journalists while clearing a long-held doubt about a rerun.
“No rerun election will be held as June 24, 2023 is over,” he reiterated, and by his stance, government prefers trading and trafficking with the people of Sierra Leone instead of doing the needful.
Opposition rep, Dr Kaifala Marrah sounded in a rather diplomatic tone saying that “the committee’s recommendations will be determined by the findings,’ he replied in a rather unusual composure. By their disagreements, there can be no argument that the stalemate still lingers with poor Sierra Leoneans bearing the brunt as transport fares, and prices of goods and services keep soaring.
Sierra Leoneans still wait and watch how it all plays out.