For Immediate Release
25th January 2023
SATAWU WELCOMES THE INTERVENTION OF GOVERNMENT AT NTI
The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) welcomes the intervention by the Gauteng Transport and Logistics MEC, Ms Kedibone Daile – Tlabela and the Northwest MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management Mr Sello Lehari, to come with solutions with the intentions of rescuing the North-West Transport Investment Bus Company (NTI) that is facing financial problems. Both MEC’s have set up an Inter-Provincial Task Team that will work and resolve these critical challenges.
The Government entity has been facing serious challenges that are likely to contribute in collapsing the NTI, and the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union has been very vocal and recently asked relevant stakeholders to intervene, late in 2022 when our members and workers were not paid their salaries for 2 months, the organization then wrote to the MEC’s for intervention in the interest of our members and workers and to save the entity. Recently (last week) we saw the company withdrawing its services between Northwest and Gauteng due to non-payments to the service providers, the withdrawal of the NTI Bus services has also affected the commuters who are in need of these services on a daily basis.
The organisation is not only concerned about its members and workers in the entity but also the poor service delivery that the commuters are subjected to. We as the Union would like to send our sincere apologies to the affected commuters travelling between the two Provinces daily.
The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union is of the view that the entrusted task team will work tirelessly in making sure that the entity fully resumes its operations again and is rescued from the financial distress that is currently under.
The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union also acknowledges the commitment taken by the MECs to pay the outstanding balance to the service provider that led to the suspension of the NTI buses operations, and we are hopeful that the management from the entity will work with the MECs. The organisation will also monitor and support Government during this process.
Issued by SATAWU
General Secretary Cde Jack Mazibuko: 082 660 4793
Deputy General Secretary Cde Anele Kiet: 071 021 1903
Head of Communications Amanda Tshemese: 062 945 7217