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.
The Guardian 