Tag Archives: Freddy Sonakile

North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Wessels Morweng to appear before committee over GD Montshioa Airport saga

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Picture: North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Wessels Morweng

By OBAKENG MAJE

4 June 2025- The North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Wessels Morweng is expected to appear before the North West Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Transport Management on Thursday. Morweng is expected to provide the committee with answers regarding illegal occupation of GD Montshioa Airport.

According to the Chairperson of the North West Provincial Legislature’ on Community Safety and Transport Management, Freddy Sonakile, they will also engage the department on its final Annual Performance Plan (APP) and Budget allocations for 2025/26 too. Sonakile said this comes after a prior meeting where the committee expressed its deep dissatisfaction with the department’s failure to provide adequate responses to key questions and referred the matter back for further clarity.

“To ensure transparency and gather all relevant perspectives, the committee has formally invited the two aviation schools allegedly operating at the airport to appear before it.

“This engagement aims to clarify their legal status, understand the scope of their operations, and determine whether due processes have been followed in relation to airport use and lease agreements,” he said.

Sonakile further said the members of the committee will also be available for media interviews immediately after the meeting, where they will outline the way forward in resolving this matter and reaffirm the Legislature’s commitment to accountability, lawful governance and the protection of public assets. He added that the meeting will be held at GD Montshioa Airport on 5 June 2025 at 10am.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in North West Provincial Secretary, Papiki Babuile said he is not surprised by these kinds of allegations because South Africa has incompetent and pitiable police intelligence. Babuile said two months ago, they embarked on an oversight visit at the airport and noticed infrequent activities, where planes were allegedly illegally landing.

“Remember, when it comes to police intelligence, we are very weak in South Africa, particularly in the North West. We actually embarked on an oversight visit two months ago at the airport and noticed that there were planes landing, which were not supposed to be at that airport.

“The department was not even aware of such activities. We were wondering as the North West Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Transport Management that, who are these individuals, who authorised them and who are they working for and what kind of activities are they running,” he said.

Babuile said they want Morweng to be held accountable. He said they will engage with the police and ensure that a criminal case is opened against malefactors.

“Not long ago, there was illegal mining taking place in Stilfontein for months and our police intelligence could not even pick that up. So, we are vulnerable when it comes to police intelligence,” he said.

The department has not responded to The Guardian Newspaper media inquiry citing that the matter will be dealt with during the meeting with the committee.

Meanwhile, the department has sent a notice of suspension or transfer letter to the Director, Thabo Sematle, who was allegedly responsible for day-to-day duties at the airport.    

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Portfolio Committee threatens to review scholar transport tender in North West

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Picture: A scholar transport bus involved in an accident/Facebook

By REGINALD KANYANE

11 April 2025- The North West Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Transport Management has expressed grave concern following yet another unacceptable incident involving a scholar transport bus. A school bus, reportedly with defective brakes, was carrying 48 learners when it failed to stop at the traffic lights opposite Mega City, crashing into a state vehicle and a liquor truck.

The Chairperson of Portfolio Committee, Freddy Sonakile, who arrived at the accident scene just minutes after it occurred, said, fortunately, the truck absorbed the impact, preventing further disaster. Sonakile said the learners sustained minor injuries and were taken to nearby clinics and hospitals.

“This incident highlights a recurring failure in the scholar transport system. Despite numerous warnings by the Committee about unroadworthy buses, the issue persists—this accident being a direct result of those concerns being ignored.

“More troubling is the bus operator’s admission that he has not been paid for over three months, despite continuing to provide the service. This speaks to serious financial mismanagement and systemic negligence within the North West scholar transport tender system,” he said.

Sonakile further said the committee has requested a full report and will hold the North West Department of Community Safety and Transport Management accountable. He added that the department had assured the committee in March 2025 that all scholar transport operators had been verified.

“Yet, this dangerously unfit bus remained in operation, an inexcusable oversight. The committee will, at its next sitting, consider firm and possibly unpopular reforms, including consideration of compliant versus non-compliant buses and a complete review of the entire tender.

“We cannot afford to wait for fatalities. Bold, immediate and uncompromising action is required to protect our children. We’ve been raising these concerns for over a year, the time for excuses is over,” said Sonakile.

He said the committee wishes all injured learners a speedy recovery and urges parents and communities to remain vigilant and report non-compliant buses immediately and most importantly act before lives are lost, not after.

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Sonakile: “Those who looted NTI will be held accountable”

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Picture: The Chairperson of North West Provincial Legislature Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Transport Management, Freddy Sonakile/Facebook

By BAKANG MOKOTO

31 March 2025- The Chairperson of North West Provincial Legislature Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Transport Management, Freddy Sonakile, said they welcome the judgment delivered by the Gauteng High Court sitting in Pretoria, which dismissed the appeal by the Business Rescue Practitioner (BRP) at Northwest Transport Investment (NTI). 

Sonakile said the court granted Section 18(3) relief in favour of the North West Department of Community Safety and Transport Management and ordered the BRP to pay costs. He further said the entity has suffered years of mismanagement and the BRP’s tenure only worsened its state.

“Instead of steering the entity toward recovery, salaries were left unpaid while a single creditor continued to receive preferential payments, a blatant violation of the Companies Act, which requires an equitable approach to all creditors, employees, and shareholders.

“The Committee’s oversight visits to NTI depots last year revealed a shocking reality, abandoned properties, assets left to waste, and an administration that refused to engage,” said Sonakile.

He added that unions reported gross worker abuse, unfair disciplinary processes and cases, where employees died without receiving their pension and funeral benefits because third-party payments were neglected. Sonakile said these injustices cannot and will not be ignored.

“The committee will return in the first quarter of 2025/26 financial year to assess NTI’s turnaround strategy, scrutinise its revival plan and ensure that all necessary support is provided to rescue this crucial entity.

“We acknowledge that the department has already taken steps by seconding an acting CEO and we expect swift action to continue servicing the Gauteng Department of Transport contract with NTI as it is key to the entity’s survival,” he said.

Sonakile said furthermore, the committee will call on the Gauteng Department of Labour to report back on the investigation they requested into NTI’s labour law violations. He said the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) will also be called for an update on progress regarding allegations of corruption and mismanagement.

“The rescuing of NTI cannot happen without justice. Those who looted, mismanaged and sabotaged the entity from politicians to administrators, board members and service providers, will be held to account.

“For too long, NTI’s workers and commuters have suffered at the hands of greed and incompetence,” said an emphatic,” he said.

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A Joint Committee Cracks Down on Scholar Transport Negligence and Rights Violations

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Picture: The Chairperson of North West Legislature Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Transport Management, Freddy Sonakile

By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

25 October 2024- The Chairperson of North West Legislature Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Transport Management, Freddy Sonakile, together with the Chairperson of Portfolio Committee on Education, Priscilla Williams, conducted a joint oversight meeting, where the Department of Community Safety and Transport Management and the Department of Education, were called to account on the unacceptable state of scholar transport in the province.

This follows numerous complaints and a recent oversight conducted by the both committees, where they inspected the state of scholar transport operations in Dr Kenneth Kaunda District during Legislature oversight week.

Sonakile expressed deep dissatisfaction with the dismal manner on how the scholar transport is operated.

“The departments’ failure to provide scholar transport to learners who need is a deprivation of their right to education and must never be tolerated. The departments made presentations on the situation, where the Joint Committees issued firm recommendations, demanding immediate action.

“The department should conduct unannounced roadworthy tests for all scholar transport service providers between now and December throughout the province and must launch a full investigation into the possibility that some service providers fraudulently passed the verification process,” he said.

Sonakile further said a session with all unpaid service providers must be held within two weeks, and all outstanding payments must be fast-tracked where services have been rendered. He added that an electronic monitoring system must be in place and operational by January 2025.

“Non-compliant buses operating at Mampho Secondary, Kromellenboog Combined, Botoka Secondary, Resolofetse Secondary, Phakedi Primary, Letlhasedi Combined and Reabona Primary Schools, must be revoked immediately following the committee’s investigations, which revealed negligence and serious risks to learners’ safety.

“The committees also resolved that the Department of Education must commission an urgent study to locate the 9,045 learners, who are not part of the scholar transport across the province,” said Sonakile.  

He said the study must include the affected schools, identify whether these learners are still attending or they have dropped out, and assess the full impact. Sonakile said they must also submit a detailed report on the 21 learners of Phakedi Primary School, who last attended school in March 2023 due to a lack of scholar transport after the previous service provider’s contract expired.

“Phakedi Primary School incident has been referred to the Human Rights Commission for investigation as the committee believes the situation constitutes a blatant violation of the learners’ right to education.

“Our recommendations are non-negotiable and will be strictly monitored for compliance. A comprehensive report on the findings must be compiled, and decisive consequences must be enforced,” he said.

Sonakile said they call for a zero-tolerance approach toward those who are putting children at risk. The rights of learners are non-negotiable and must be safeguarded at all costs.

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