The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo will formally request that the Limpopo Economis Development, Environment and Tourism Portfolio (LEDET) Committee urgently summon the Board of Great North Transport (GNT) to explain why its Chief Executive Officer remains on full pay more than nine months after being placed on precautionary suspension.
The DA will demand clarity on:
- Why the disciplinary process has not been finalised;
- Whether the suspension was formally extended;
- Who authorised any extension;
- The total cost to date; and
- When the matter will be concluded.
On 29 May 2025, the GNT Board suspended the CEO, CFO and COO on full pay, citing serious concerns relating to financial governance, operational delivery and executive accountability. The suspension was reportedly not to exceed three months.
Nine months later, the CEO is still reportedly earning approximately R220 000 per month. The CFO and COO have since exited after receiving three months’ remuneration.
We will also seek clarity on why exit agreements were concluded if disciplinary action was contemplated, and on what basis such action was pursued. Accountability without consequences is a failure of governance.
GNT is a financially distressed provincial entity reliant on public subsidy funding and repeated bail-outs to provide subsidised transport to rural and indigent communities. At is peak GNT operated 540 buses across 200 routes. Last year it was reduced to just 23 operational buses. Yet while services deteriorate and financial pressures mount, executive salaries continue to be paid without resolution.
GNT policy provides that precautionary suspension for senior executives may not exceed six months unless formally extended under delegated authority. The DA demands confirmation of whether this occurred, by whom, and on what governance basis. If not, the Board may be acting outside its own framework.
The prolonged delay further raises concerns about compliance with policy requiring disciplinary processes to proceed without undue delay.
We have also been informed that, despite equipment being retrieved, the CEO allegedly accessed his work laptop more than once. If true, this raises serious concerns about process integrity. We will ask who authorised this access and under what conditions.
It is troubling that the Premier is reportedly under the impression that this matter has been resolved. The public deserves transparency.
The MEC for LEDET, Tshitereke Matibe, cannot remain silent while governance failures persist at a struggling provincial entity.
The DA will demand answers, accountability, and consequence management where required