The DA calls for an independent and public commission of enquiry into the collapse of Great North Transport (GNT). Only a transparent enquiry in the full gaze of the public will uncover how and why this vital public entity was captured, who enabled it, and how to prevent it happening again. Without such a process, GNT will remain trapped in a cycle of corruption and wasted public funds.
We take no pleasure in GNT’s collapse under the ANC. A viable GNT provides mobility and dignity to Limpopo’s poor and is vital to the provincial economy. But for GNT to be sustainably rescued:
- An independent commission of enquiry must be established to lay bare the truth and make binding recommendations;
- The SIU must provide a full update on its investigation;
- Those guilty of corruption and maladministration must face consequences;
- Cadre deployment must be halted and competent, fit-for-purpose individuals appointed;
- Full and open disclosure of the turnaround plan – including its financial model and sustainability – must be tabled, interrogated, and monitored.
The current turnaround and recapitalisation of GNT is tantamount to throwing good money after bad. Hundreds of millions are being wasted because of years of corruption, looting, and incompetent governance under the ANC’s watch. Even with this spending, GNT will not be restored to its former standing.
Without transparency, acknowledgement of wrongdoing, consequence management, and the removal of the corrupt and inept, the turnaround will fail like previous efforts. Recapitalisation will only open the door to more corruption, theft, and misery for Limpopo’s most vulnerable citizens.
To the DA it is clear: the ANC and successive ANC-led provincial governments are to blame. The Premier should admit that GNT was captured. The most recent SCOPA reports adopted by the Legislature confirm this.
The Zondo Commission defined state capture as a project where a small group of actors, together with collaborators inside and outside the state, conspired – criminally and in defiance of the Constitution – to divert resources for their own gain. That is exactly what happened to GNT.
At the heart of the problem is the ANC’s policy of cadre deployment. It has placed pliant, inept individuals in key posts, shutting down accountability and entrenching corruption. Yet no one has been held responsible, charged, or forced to repay looted funds – despite the PFMA.
If GNT is to be saved, the kingpins and enablers of its collapse must be exposed. Progress on the proclaimed SIU investigation must also be made public. But piecemeal investigations and opaque turnaround plans are not enough. This is why the DA calls for an independent commission of enquiry.
The current turnaround plan is opaque and its sustainability questionable: leasing buses and entering into Special Purpose Vehicle agreements with private companies will drain GNT’s revenue. Already, 205 buses are being leased at R26–R29 per km for five years. Where SPVs exist, GNT forfeits its passenger transport subsidy to private partners.
Limpopo cannot afford another two decades of corruption and mismanagement at GNT. The truth must come out – and only an independent enquiry can deliver it.