PHALABORWA – The DA in Limpopo has raised concerns about what it described as the shocking state of Great North Transport (GNT) depots in Phalaborwa and Namakgale following a recent Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) oversight visit.

Depot conditions raise alarm

The visit aimed to assess the state of public transport services and operational efficiency.

According to the DA, only four buses are currently operational to serve 16 villages, severely affecting service delivery. The party said the delegation also observed broken and non-operational buses at the depots, while one of the offices was described as dilapidated.

Other concerns included weak revenue and fuel controls, staff shortages, poor infrastructure and unsafe working conditions.

Scopa has called for urgent corrective measures to strengthen accountability and ensure reliable public transport services for the people of Phalaborwa and surrounding communities.

DA questions R198.8m funding request

The DA also questioned why the Limpopo Economic Development Agency (Leda) and GNT are seeking R198.8m in bridge financing, given that GNT has received almost R1b in taxpayer funding from the Limpopo government since 2016/17.

According to the party, the funding was intended for the purchase of buses, repairs and maintenance, employee costs, severance packages, statutory obligations and historical payables.

The DA said it could not support the proposed R198.8 million injection or the Section 189 retrenchment consultation process unless both form part of an open, transparent and independently verified turnaround plan.

Section 189 of the Labour Relations Act deals with dismissals based on an employer’s operational requirements and requires fair and objective selection criteria where retrenchments are unavoidable.

GNT has also faced criticism over its handling of employee pension fund contributions, including allegations that millions of rand owed to former employees remain unpaid.

Leda responds to depot and funding criticism

However, Leda spokesperson Leo Gama told the Herald that GNT has 10 depots across different regions of the province and that buses no longer in operation are kept at the depots pending scrapping or auctioning.

He said a decision had been taken to sell old buses that are beyond repair.

Gama also rejected the characterisation of the requested funding as a bailout, saying GNT, as a government entity, would welcome an operational injection to address some of the challenges it faces.

“Our focus is to rebuild the company, something which is of great assistance to the communities of Limpopo, especially in rural areas. The company’s turnaround plan will see a much-improved GNT,” said Gama.

“We are here to provide a service that the people of this province will be proud of, and we will not be distracted from focusing on our recovery journey.”

Gama added that GNT welcomes constructive criticism aimed at improving its operations.