Limpopo Transport Workers Camp Outside Premier’s Office to Demand Unpaid Pensions

Former and current Great North Transport employees have been having sit-ins and night vigils outside the Limpopo Premier’s Office since 15 October, demanding pension and provident fund payments.

• Hundreds of Great North Transport (GNT) employees have been camping outside the Limpopo Premier’s Office since 15 October demanding unpaid pension benefits.
• GNT says it is fully compliant, but a forensic report found the board failed to report non-compliance and 11 depots missed timely contributions.
• In May, the GNT’s CEO, CFO and COO were suspended.
• Premier Phophi Ramathuba says paying the claimed R500-million without supporting data would be reckless and claims must first be substantiated.

Former and current Great North Transport (GNT) employees have been camping outside the Limpopo Premier’s Office in Polokwane since 15 October, demanding payment of outstanding pension and provident fund benefits and implementation of a forensic report.

The group, made up of hundreds of people, including elderly men and women, has been holding sit-ins and night vigils, accusing the provincial government of withholding money owed to them.

GNT denies the allegations, saying it is “fully compliant” with the Pension Funds Act and that all employee and employer contributions have been paid. The company said that while there had previously been “isolated instances” of delayed payments due to cash flow problems, these had since been resolved.

According to GNT, funds for 162 former employees who could not be traced when the fund was liquidated, are being held by the administrator, Fedgroup, and will be released once beneficiaries come forward.

Claims of R500-million missing

The protest is led by the Make It Happen Foundation (MIHAFO) managing director Harry Masindi, who maintains that some workers were underpaid or lost accrued interest during transitions between pension fund administrators. The group claims over R500-million has disappeared.

The GNT pension fund has been managed by several administrators over the years, including Lekana, Moriting, Alexander Forbes, Metropolitan, Momentum, and the Sanlam Umbrella Fund.

A forensic report by BDO in May 2021 found that the GNT board of trustees, which had met quarterly, failed to report non-compliance by the bus company to the pension fund registrar, as required by the Pension Funds Act. The report also revealed that 11 depots failed to make timely pension contributions.

Marubini Mabiba, who worked at the GNT Makhado depot from 1994 until his retrenchment in 2022, said, “After all the years I worked, I received less than R500,000. I feel like I was robbed.”

Suspensions

In May, the Limpopo Economic Development Agency (LEDA) said it would fast-track payments for outstanding pension and medical aid contributions.

LEDA CEO Thakhani Makhuvha said the company had been under financial strain but was now implementing a turnaround plan, including acquiring new buses and launching a lease programme. He apologised to affected workers and said LEDA would assist with clearing confirmed arrears.

An internal staff notice seen by GroundUp stated that after a special board meeting on 29 May 2025, GNT’s CEO, CFO, and COO were suspended with full pay for up to three months to allow a thorough investigation into financial and operational governance.

The board said the decision was made “in the interest of accountability and long-term sustainability” and asked LEDA to deploy interim staff to maintain operations.

GNT spokesperson Leo Gama said the executives have been charged and a disciplinary process is underway.

GNT has appointed Moremi Actuaries to conduct an independent review of possible non-payment or mismanagement before 2010. Findings are expected by the end of this financial year.

“The process has not been finalised and the board awaits the report to study the findings and recommendations which will inform the way forward on the matter,” said Gama.

The provincial government said the issue was first formally raised by MIHAFO in October 2024. Of 1,163 original pension member files, 787 claims were processed by the liquidator between October 2022 and June 2023, while 376 were transferred to Fedgroup’s Unclaimed Benefit Fund. A further 214 claims have since been finalised, leaving 162 still unclaimed.

Premier responds

A government task team is tracing missing records dating back to the 1990s. Premier Phophi Ramathuba said that while she sympathises with those who have not yet received their payouts, it would be “reckless” to pay the R500-million demanded without supporting data.

“We are accountable to the people,” said Ramathuba. “The demands that MIHAFO is making cannot be justified under the circumstances. Let them provide names, data, and statistics to match the amounts that need to be paid. We will ensure that all eligible individuals receive their money.”

DA provincial spokesperson for economic development Jacques Smalle said the party will lodge complaints with the Financial Sector Conduct Authority and the Pension Funds Adjudicator, and called for an Auditor-General investigation. He said the BDO report found that GNT deducted contributions but did not remit all of them to the pension fund and failed to submit required reports.

Gama denied the allegations, calling them “false and baseless”.

Masindi said the sit-in will continue. “Our people are dying without receiving what they worked for. We are here because there is nowhere else to go. GNT is confusing its former and current employees with statements that don’t match reality. We also don’t understand how the government can claim to lack records.”

Picketers claimed they are being denied access to water and toilets. Some said they use toilets at nearby shops, others relieve themselves outdoors at night. The matter was reported to the Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) last week.

The provincial head of the SAHRC, Victor Mavhidula, confirmed that the complaint had been registered and was under assessment.

This story is published in association with the Limpopo Mirror.

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