The North West Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Transport Management has expressed concern over several areas of underperformance within the provincial Department of Community Safety and Transport Management (COSATMA), while also voicing frustration over the deepening crisis at North West Transport Investment (NTI).
The committee, chaired by Hon. Freddy Sonakile, met with departmental officials to review the department’s third and fourth quarter performance reports for the 2025/26 financial year.
During the meeting, legislators scrutinized a range of issues affecting service delivery, including the Road Rangers Programme, a departmental security tender, the incorporation of the former Atamelang Bus Company into the Ngaka Modiri Molema bus contract, stock theft intervention plans, infrastructure projects, ongoing litigation and the operation of weighbridges across the province.
Committee members expressed concern about programmes that failed to meet annual performance targets and instructed the department to submit a detailed corrective action plan outlining measures to address the shortcomings.
Particular attention was given to the filling of vacant posts, with lawmakers stressing that staffing shortages continue to undermine service delivery and institutional effectiveness.
Despite the concerns, the committee commended Programme 2, the Provincial Secretariat for Police Services, and Programme 4, Transport Regulation, for achieving all their annual performance targets despite budgetary constraints.
The meeting also focused extensively on the deteriorating situation at NTI, the province’s embattled transport entity. Committee members were told that NTI operations have been suspended since January after subcontractors withdrew buses because of unpaid invoices.
The committee received an update on legal developments involving Business Rescue Practitioner Thomas Sammons, who recently obtained condonation from the Supreme Court of Appeal in ongoing legal proceedings.
However, committee members strongly opposed any attempt to place NTI back into business rescue.
“We will not support any move to reach a settlement with individuals who failed to rescue the entity, particularly when employees’ salaries remain unpaid,” Sonakile said. “The continued delays in resolving workers’ salary issues are not only frustrating but constitute a betrayal of the employees who have borne the brunt of this crisis.”
The committee requested that a clear timeline for the payment of outstanding salaries be submitted by next week.
Seeking a long-term solution, the committee resolved to urgently convene discussions with the Premier of the North West Province, the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Provincial Treasury and the MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management to determine the future of the struggling entity.
Committee members also argued that legal mechanisms should be pursued to implement an Executive Council resolution aimed at removing NTI from the business rescue process.
“The continued appointment of Business Rescue Practitioners and the prolonged uncertainty surrounding the entity cannot be condoned,” Sonakile said. “We cannot continue dealing with the same individuals for more than four years while workers, commuters and economic opportunities in our province suffer.”
The NTI crisis has become a significant concern for public transport users and employees in the North West Province, with prolonged operational disruptions affecting commuter services and placing financial strain on workers whose salaries remain outstanding.
The committee concluded the meeting by conveying condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Ingrid Masothe, a shop steward affiliated with the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) at NTI, who recently died.
“We pray that her passing, and those of others who have departed during this difficult period, will not be in vain as efforts continue to restore stability and dignity to the entity and its employees,” Sonakile said.