While the country is celebrating Workers Day, more than 500 former staff members of Great North Transport (GNT) in Limpopo are still waiting for their pension funds from the government subsidized bus company.
One of the affected members is Mapula Tsetsewa, a 61-year-old mother of four from Zebediela. She said she is struggling to make ends meet due to unpaid pensions.
Tsetsewa has worked for the company for 25 years as a general worker. She has been waiting for her money to no avail since she took an early retirement package four years ago to take care of her ailing husband and grandchildren.
No pension after 25 years service
“My husband was retrenched in 2017 due to ill-heath. And I had to take the responsibilities of feeding the family of nine, my five kids and four grandchildren. With no income at home and lack of jobs for my children, life remains hard for us to bear,” said the sad Tsetsewa.
Unlike those who lost their assets, Tsetsewa regards herself lucky because she built her house without credit. This is something she can show for her hard work at GNT from 2006-2021.
According to information, GNT has over the years deducted pension contributions from employees’ salaries. However, the employees have not been able to access their money after retiring. This is because the money, which is said to be in the region of R300-million, was not paid to the pension administrators for the past 18 years.
This has severely impacted some of the former workers. Some claim to have lost their properties, cars and other assets due as they failed to access their pension payouts after retirement.
No response from government
Added Tsetsewa: “We have protested for a number of times at the relevant government structures. And we had hoped to answers through our union, the Make It Happen Foundation (MAIFO). But all we get is promises. Some have died long before they could receive their hard-earned money. And my fear is that if I die too, my father will never get any cent,” explained Tsetsewa. She added that they were promised to get their money at the end of December last year, which never happened.
The MEC for Limpopo Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET), Tshitereke Matibe, confirmed the matter. He said they are sticking to the approved recommendation that the matter be referred to law enforcement agencies. They will decide as to who is affected and who is not, and what steps to take.
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