The following is an extract of a member statement delivered by Jóhni Steenkamp in the North West Provincial Legislature today:
Hon. Speaker,
For months now, the men and women who keep North West moving , the bus drivers, mechanics, and staff of NTI, have been left in despair. Salaries have gone unpaid, families have gone hungry, and at least fourteen workers have tragically lost their lives in this nightmare.
This is not just a financial dispute; it is a moral failure. It is a government that has turned its back on its own people while hiding behind court papers and endless delays.
Speaker, the DA says enough is enough. How can workers who still wake up to serve commuters every day be treated like beggars? How can government expect loyalty from employees when it cannot even provide them with the dignity of a salary?
We will today lodge a formal complaint with the Human Rights Commission on behalf of the workers who have been failed by the system for years.
We also demand that the Premier take a stand, stop passing the buck and intervene immediately, as well as address these workers. It is such a shame that even with previous similar encounters, the MEC and Premier have never gone to NTI offices to address the workers, who ended up having to squat outside the Legislature.
And we are putting them on notice: this House and the people of North West demand immediate action on this matter.
Hon. Speaker, the DA stands with these workers and their families. We will fight alongside them until this injustice ends. Their lives are worth more than legal theatrics.
I thank you.