Thousands of people thronged to the Johannesburg City Hall early this month in protest against the implementation of the Gauteng road tolling system.
But it appears the battle was lost a long time ago.
Yesterday, the ANC in the Gauteng Legislature rejected any attempt by Cosatu and the various opposition parties to put on hold the implementation of phase 1 of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project.
Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane was not present when the decision was taken. She and other senior Gauteng leaders, such as provincial secretary David Makhura, have expressed their opposition to the tolls in public and accused the SA National Roads Agency Ltd (Sanral) of having failed to consult widely before announcing the early tariffs.
Gauteng DA caucus leader Jack Bloom pointed out that those leaders had been openly critical of the tolling system before the latest ANC decision to endorse phase 1 of the project.
He quoted Mokonyane as saying: "Tolling will remain, but the issue is the implementation of the tolling strategy. We don't want to have a strategy that will impact negatively on our economy, where people (especially business) may just easily move away from our province and consider other options."
Bloom said Makhura had also been against the tolls.
"In the absence of an affordable, reliable and efficient public transport system, the proposed tolling system will have disastrous consequences for the people of Gauteng," he was quoted as having said.
But ANC members in the legislature yesterday were inflexible, despite a call by Cosatu and other civil rights organisations on November 11 to all Gauteng Legislature members to campaign for a total ban on tolling.
The trade union federation also indicated it would launch civil disobedience campaigns if the tolls went ahead.
Gauteng Roads and Transport MEC Ismail Vadi said the tolling of Gauteng roads was a "done deal", accepted by the cabinet, and would be implemented early next year.
Vadi launched a veiled attack on Cosatu, saying "striking a partnership with the private sector to develop our road and public infrastructure is not tantamount to privatising our roads, as was alleged in some quarters.
"On the contrary, it is inviting private sector- funding for investment in public infrastructure, based on the principle of a fair rate of return to the investors."
Vadi was outright in his support for Gauteng e-tolling, unlike his other ANC colleagues, who were evasive in their responses.
He also rejected the opposition's views that the poor were more likely to suffer if the system went ahead.
"The department has noted with appreciation that the cabinet-approved tariffs are considerably less that the initial tariffs proposed by Sanral.
"The discounted tariffs have been reduced from 49.5 cents a km to 40 cents - a reduction of almost 20 percent.
"We are also pleased that the minister (of roads and transport) has exempted minibus taxis and bus operators from paying toll fees.
"This is a significant concession to ordinary working people, the poor and the unemployed, who are hard hit by the rising costs of transport in our province. At the same time, it underpins our policy of promoting the use of public transport."
Vadi said he supported the position of the minister, S'bu Ndebele, that Sanral should not proceed with the implementation of the proposed future phases of the freeway project.
Reacting to the decision, Cosatu spokesman Patrick Craven said the labour federation would go ahead with its campaigns.
Sanral CEO Nazir Alli said Ndebele and the provincial government had never opposed phase 1 of the project.