The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) welcomes the decision taken by the North West Provincial Legislature Committee, responsible for the Community safety and Transport regarding the North West Transport Investment (NTI) that is currently facing financial constrains under the so called ‘Business Rescue Practitioner’ Mr Thomas Samons that was appointed in 2022 to save the entity.

The Union has been very vocal against this appointment that on the 25th of January 2023 it wrote and appealed to the Provincial Government that the contract of the ‘practitioner’ must be terminated with immediate effect as there was no improvement.

When the BRP was appointed, they were given just one mandate, just one mandate to rescue the entity as it has been under financial distress for years now to an extent that our members and workers were not paid their salaries for months, however he failed to deliver in fact the entity became worse under the so called ‘practitioner’. The organisation will also be laying criminal charges against the ‘BRP’, clearly it is just a money laundering scheme with no good results nor intentions.

It is actually nothing new to the public domain that the entity(North West Transport Investment) has been suffering financially due to corruption and incompetence. We are also aware that the BRP was unable to account to the standing committee in the legislature since his appointment.

Sadly, again is it the workers and the poor that are negatively affected not the Mr Thomas. HE MUST GO!

The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union holds and has the best interests of the workers, commuters, the poor and the working class that it wrote to the Premier of the North West Province, Mr Bushi Maape, early this year that the Premier must take a decisive decision towards the useless and incompetent MEC of Transport in the Province, Mr Lehari. Mr Lehari has no plan whatsoever to rescue the entity. We have been very patient with him, however he keeps on showing us and the poor a middles finger.

The MEC of Transport in the North West must follow the ‘Business Rescue Practitioner’ he is as useless. In fact, the union is surprised, why is he still occupying that office? The passenger sector is very big and it is bringing billions of rands to our economy we need people who are more committed to bring change to our people not the likes of Lehari, Lehari must leave that office.

We once more applaud the North West Provincial Government, we will always support the government that is for and supports the workers.

Issued By SATAWU

Geneal Secretary Cde Jack Mazibuko: 082 660 4793

Deputy General Secretary Cde Anele Kiet: 071 021 1903

Head of Communications Amanda Tshemese: 062 945 7217