Widows protest over unpaid GNT pension funds
Despite the government owned bus company acknowledging corruption, none of the employees have received their retirement savings.
POLOKWANE – Dora Phalane is one of many widows whose husbands passed on without his pension funds having been paid out by his employer at the time of his death, Great North Transport (GNT).
Today, she works as a street vendor trying to make ends meet.
She spoke to Polokwane Observer last Wednesday, saying her children have missed the opportunity to pursue tertiary education due to a lack of money.
Other widows just like her, recently joined a group of former GNT employees in protest for the release of a forensic report called by Provincial Government in 2021, to probe allegations of the transport agency having used the money, for other purposes.
A demonstration, spearheaded by a whistleblower, the Make it Happen foundation was at the same time held outside the Office of the Premier, Chupu Mathabatha and that of Provincial Treasury.
The unpaid monies are estimated to be around R300m.
The foundation’s Harry Masindi, who had been vocal on the matter since it first came to light, claims that Treasury did not want to make the report available to him or anyone else.
“Despite the government owned bus company acknowledging corruption, none of the employees have received their retirement savings,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, Treasury MEC, Seaparo Sekoati received a memorandum of demands for the publication of the report, on behalf of both offices.
Below is a list of their demands:
• Access to the forensic investigation report conducted by Treasury.
• Immediate payment of the unpaid pension/provident funds.
• Immediate action against all of those implicated in ‘defrauding’ the workers.
• The privatisation of Great North Transport be halted.
