By BAKANG MOKOTO
15 April 2025- The North West Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Transport Management said it welcomes the appointment of Mahomed Mahier Tayob as the new Business Rescue Practitioner (BRP) for North West Transport Investment (NTI). This comes after the Gauteng High Court ruling in favour of the North West Department of Community Safety and Transport Management.
The Chairperson of Committee, Freddy Sonakile said they remain resolute in their belief that NTI can still be rescued. Sonakile said to this end, they will conduct a follow-up oversight visit to the NTI headquarters and depots within a month to assess the current state of the entity and to receive the official turnaround plan from both the newly appointed BRP and the department.
“We note with concern that the former BRP, Mr Thomas Sammons, has launched a further appeal against the ruling. However, we take comfort in the fact that the Court invoked Section 18 of the Superior Courts Act, which ensures that the judgment is enforceable despite any application for leave to appeal.
“The committee has also noted with concern that the BRP is still issuing correspondence even after his removal. What is deeply alarming, however, is the information received by the committee indicating that Sammons continues to issue correspondence to NTI staff purporting to act as the BRP, despite his removal,” he said.
Sonakile further said should these allegations prove to be true, they call on the department to urgently investigate this matter and lay criminal charges of fraud where appropriate. He added that they call on the new BRP to prioritise, within the 25-day window prescribed by the Companies Act, a comprehensive turnaround strategy.
“At the heart of this plan must be the regularisation of NTI’s structural challenges, the restoration of salary payments to its employees, who have suffered prolonged uncertainty and a clear audit of previous disciplinary processes, many of which were reportedly handled arbitrarily.
“The committee will maintain its strict oversight role to ensure accountability, transparency, and ultimately, the restoration of NTI as a viable public transport entity that can serve the people of the North West with reliability and dignity,” said Sonakile.
The Guardian 