Provincial legislators have issued a stern directive to the Department of Community Safety and Transport Management (COSATMA) following a comprehensive review that revealed significant gaps in service delivery and mounting instability at the province’s key transport entity.
During a pivotal oversight session, the North West Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Transport Management, under the leadership of Chairperson Freddy Sonakile, scrutinized the department’s third and fourth-quarter performance reports for the 2025/26 financial year. The engagement uncovered multiple programmes that fell short of their annual targets, prompting the committee to demand a detailed corrective action plan within a specified timeframe.
Committee members deliberated on a wide range of critical issues, including the implementation status of the Road Rangers Programme, the procurement process for the department’s security tender, the integration of the former Atamelang Bus Company into the Ngaka Modiri Molema district bus contract, strategies to combat stock theft, progress on infrastructure projects, pending litigation, and the operational efficiency of weighbridges across the province.
While expressing disappointment over unmet targets, the committee acknowledged commendable performance from two key areas: Programme 2 (Provincial Secretariat for Police Services) and Programme 4 (Transport Regulation), both of which achieved 100% of their annual objectives despite operating under tight fiscal conditions. Legislators emphasized that filling long-standing vacancies remains critical to bolstering institutional capacity and improving service delivery across all programmes.
NTI Crisis Reaches Critical Juncture
The latter segment of the meeting centered on the deteriorating situation at North West Transport Investment (NTI), the provincial entity responsible for public transport services. A status report presented to the committee revealed that NTI has been non-operational since January 2026, after subcontractors withdrew their buses due to persistent payment delays.
The committee was briefed on recent legal developments involving Business Rescue Practitioner Thomas Sammons, who recently received condonation from the Supreme Court of Appeal. However, legislators were unequivocal in their stance: they will not endorse any proposal to return NTI to the business rescue process, citing the approach’s repeated failure to stabilize the entity or protect workers’ interests.
“We will not support any move to reach a settlement with individuals who failed to rescue the entity, particularly when employees’ salaries remain unpaid,” stated Chairperson Sonakile. “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.”
In response, the committee has instructed the department to submit a clear, actionable timeline for the payment of all outstanding employee salaries by next week.
Call for High-Level Intervention
To chart a sustainable path forward, the committee resolved to urgently convene a strategic meeting with the Premier of the North West, alongside the Members of the Executive Council (MECs) for Provincial Treasury and for Community Safety and Transport Management. The objective: to align political and administrative leadership on decisive steps to rescue NTI from prolonged paralysis.
Legislators also urged that all available legal mechanisms be explored to give effect to the Executive Council’s earlier resolution to approach the courts for NTI’s formal removal from the business rescue process.
“The continued appointment of Business Rescue Practitioners and the prolonged uncertainty surrounding the entity cannot be condoned,” Sonakile emphasized. “We cannot continue dealing with the same individuals for more than four years while workers, commuters and economic opportunities in our province suffer. To do so would amount to political cowardice of the highest order.”
Honouring a Fallen Advocate
The committee concluded its proceedings by extending heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Ingrid Masothe, a dedicated shop steward for the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) at NTI, who recently passed away.
“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, underscoring the human cost of the ongoing institutional crisis.
As pressure mounts for tangible solutions, the North West Legislature has signaled that oversight will remain robust, with follow-up engagements scheduled to monitor implementation of the corrective measures demanded from COSATMA and related entities.
