NORTH WEST LEGISLATURE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON COMMUNITY SAFETY EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER COSATMA PERFORMANCE CHALLENGES AND NTI CRISIS

The North West Provincial Legislature Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Transport Management, chaired by Hon. Freddy Sonakile, met with the Department of Community Safety and Transport Management (COSATMA) to consider and process the Department’s Third and Fourth Quarter Performance Reports for the 2025/26 financial year.

As the reports covered the Department’s performance throughout the financial year, the Committee engaged extensively on several outstanding matters, including the Road Rangers Programme, the Department’s security tender, the incorporation of the erstwhile Atamelang Bus Company into the Ngaka Modiri Molema bus contract, stock theft intervention plans, the status of departmental infrastructure projects, ongoing litigation matters, and weighbridge operations across the province.

The Committee expressed concern regarding programmes that failed to achieve their annual targets and directed the Department to provide a detailed corrective action plan outlining how these shortcomings will be addressed. Particular emphasis was placed on the filling of vacant positions to strengthen service delivery and institutional capacity.

The Committee, however, expressed satisfaction with Programme 2: Provincial Secretariat for Police Services and Programme 4: Transport Regulation, both of which achieved all their annual performance targets despite prevailing budgetary constraints.

The second part of the meeting focused on the ongoing challenges facing the North West Transport Investment (NTI). The Committee received a status report which painted a bleak picture of the entity’s current state. NTI operations have been suspended since January 2026 following the withdrawal of buses by subcontractors due to non-payment.

The Committee also received an update on recent legal developments involving the Business Rescue Practitioner (BRP), Mr. Thomas Sammons, who has been granted condonation by the Supreme Court of Appeal.

The Committee stated unequivocally that it would not support any attempt to return the entity to a business rescue process, arguing that the intervention has failed to achieve its intended objectives.

“We will not support any move to reach a settlement with individuals who failed to rescue the entity, particularly when employees’ salaries remain unpaid. 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,” said Hon. Sonakile.

The Committee has requested that a clear timeline for the payment of all outstanding salaries be submitted by next week.
To find a sustainable solution to the ongoing crisis, the Committee resolved to urgently invite the Premier, the MEC for Provincial Treasury and the MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management to discuss the way forward for the embattled entity.

The Committee further expressed the view that legal avenues should be explored to implement the Executive Council’s resolution to approach the courts for the removal of NTI from the business rescue process.

“The continued appointment of Business Rescue Practitioners and the prolonged uncertainty surrounding the entity cannot be condoned. 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,” said Hon. Sonakile.

The Committee also conveyed its heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Ms Ingrid Masothe, a SATAWU shop steward 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,” stated Hon. Sonakile.

Ends

Issued on behalf of the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Transport Management – Hon Freddy Sonakile.

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