MAHIKENG MAIL - MAHIKENG: The North West Provincial Legislature Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Transport Management is sounding the alarm over the dire situation at North West Transport Investments (NTI), where 14 employees have tragically taken their own lives due to months of unpaid salaries.
Committee Chairperson Freddy Sonakile expressed deep concern and outrage, emphasising that families were suffering, homes being repossessed and workers have reportedly died of hunger while a legal impasse drags on.
Sonakile believes that the province cannot be held hostage by one individual - as NTI’s former Business Rescue Practitioner Thomas Sammons’ repeated appeals have stalled progress.
The Committee has demanded urgent action to ensure salary payments are made without further delay, regardless of ongoing court processes. Sonakile stressed that workers continue to serve the public, and their dignity must be restored.
To address the crisis, the Committee has called on Premier Lazarus Mokgosi and relevant MECs to meet with NTI’s Acting CEO and current Business Rescue Practitioner to devise strategies for immediate salary payments. The Committee also expects the North West Provincial Government to vigorously defend the business rescue process, pursue cost orders against Sammons for frivolous appeals and provide full support to workers during this transition. The Committee has given the Premier and MECs 14 days to provide formal feedback on concrete steps being taken to ensure workers are paid.
Failure to act with urgency will render the government complicit in the suffering of employees, Sonakile warned. The Committee said they will closely monitor the situation and hold both the department and the entity accountable, prioritising the lives and livelihoods of workers over any legal complexities.
