The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and its affiliate, the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) intervened once more to ensure that workers at North West Transport Investment (NTI) were paid their salaries.

Workers at the bus company jointly owned by the North West and Gauteng provincial governments made headlines in December 2025, after the company failed to pay their November and December salaries. At the time, some workers had reportedly not been paid for 14 months. The November and December salaries were eventually paid in January this year after interventions by COSATU and SATAWU.

Periodically, the General Secretary of COSATU, Solly Phetoe, as well as that of SATAWU, Jack Mazibuko, have had to intervene to make sure workers receive their salaries. In the most recent episode of this shambolic affair, an agreement was reached in July, wherein the Gauteng Provincial Government would pay R180 million to NTI, enabling it to pay workers’ salaries for three months. However, Gauteng paid only R105 million, which in turn saw workers only receive salaries for two months.

The two-months salaries, though a sliver compared to what workers are owed, has provided temporary reprieve from financial distress, allowing workers to cater to their families’ needs.

However, workers are still owed thousands of Rands in outstanding salaries going as far back as May and June 2024.

Subsequent meetings are set to be held to discuss how the outstanding salaries will be funded, and when workers can expect to be paid.

COSATU believes a coherent turnaround plan should be put in place to return the company to sustainability and profitability, because limping from one financial calamity to the next is no way to run an entity that provides a basic service that communities in the North West and Gauteng rely on. Besides, workers should not be expected to shoulder the consequences of management failures.

Issued by COSATU