By REGINALD KANYANE
12 February 2026- The Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Transport Management in the North West Provincial Legislature, chaired by Freddy Sonakile, has concluded its two-day engagements on matters relating to North West Transport Investment (NTI). Sonakile said the engagements focused on service providers who are signatories to the NTI Escrow Account, namely TansNat, Ziggy, and Triponza.
He further said these service providers appeared before the Committee to account for their role in the establishment and operation of the escrow account. Sonakile added that the Committee also received briefings from Mduduzi Sithole, a transport business owner from KwaZulu-Natal who made formal representations to the Committee, as well as Grace Sadiki, former Chief Executive Officer of NTI.
“All presenters shared information regarding their involvement with the entity and responded to issues and allegations previously raised.
“During the engagements, the three representatives provided detailed accounts outlining the sequence of events that led to the current situation at NTI,” he said.
Sonakile said following these presentations, the Committee resolved to request additional information to clarify outstanding matters. He said a final engagement session will be scheduled once this information has been received.
“In the interim, the Committee’s legal team has been instructed to begin compiling an interim report to guide further deliberations.
“The Committee also received an update on the payment of employee salaries and will continue to monitor developments in this regard,” said Sonakile.
He said furthermore, the Department of Labour briefed the Committee on the outcomes of its investigation, while the Hawks provided an update on the status of cases opened relating to NTI. Sonakile said in order to ensure a comprehensive and fair process, the Committee will convene an additional session to engage other stakeholders who have played a key role in the operations and future of the entity.
“As the Committee does not exercise direct oversight over the Gauteng Department, it will formally request the assistance of its Gauteng counterpart to ensure that the relevant authorities provide outstanding information and engage on subsidy and related matters.
“The Portfolio Committee remains committed to exercising rigorous oversight and ensuring accountability, transparency, and stability at NTI, in the interest of workers, service providers, and the broader public,” he said.
The Guardian 