NTI previously provided bus services for millions of commuters travelling between Hammanskraal and Pretoria. The investigation also covers NTI subsidiaries North West Star and the Atteridgeville Bus Service. 

According to Special Investigating Unit (SIU) spokesperson Selby Makgotho, the investigation empowers the unit to recover any public money lost through wrongdoing.

The SIU will consider procurement and contract processes relating to fuel supplied by Zentrafor Fuel, trading as FuelU, vehicle rental services provided under a vehicle rental agreement dated 28 July 2023, and commuter busline services outlined in a subcontractor agreement dated 7 July 2023 on behalf of NTI. The investigation will also examine payments made for these services.

“The SIU has also been authorised to investigate significant maladministration in the NTI operation regarding the receipt, processing, approval, and payments of claims submitted by Tansanat Coachlines and Ziggy Investments,” said Makgotho.

Misa, representing more than 80,000 members in the retail motor industry, said the investigation was long overdue. Misa CEO for operations Martlé Keyter said the collapse of NTI’s bus services had a significant impact on workers who rely on affordable public transport.

“The collapse of NTI’s bus services left an estimated 3.6-million commuters stranded, many of them workers who depend on affordable public transport to reach their jobs.

“When the buses stopped, our members were forced onto costly taxis, spending money they could not spare simply to get to work. The human cost of this failure has been carried, as always, by ordinary working people,” she said.

Keyter said the public deserves answers about how money allocated to NTI was spent. “NTI was run with public money, and the public deserves to know where that money went. Workers paid twice for this collapse; first through their taxes and then through their pockets when they had to find their own way to work.

“Misa rejects corruption, maladministration and the abuse of public funds in every form. We welcome this investigation, but an investigation is only the beginning. Those responsible must be held accountable and the money owed to workers and lost to the state must be recovered.”

Misa also raised concerns about the financial impact on NTI employees, noting that the company reportedly owes more than R224 million in unpaid salaries and benefits. Keyter said workers affected by the crisis must not be forgotten as the investigation continues.

“Accountability must translate into a functioning, reliable bus service, not merely a report.”

Misa has called on the SIU to act swiftly and transparently, while urging the Gauteng and North West provincial governments to ensure dependable public transport is restored without further delays.

Since 16 August, the North West and Gauteng provincial governments have implemented the phased resumption of NTI bus services in Hammanskraal and surrounding areas in the City of Tshwane.

Keyter said the investigation must ultimately result in accountability, recovery of public funds, and a reliable transport service for commuters and workers.

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