It was a bleak Christmas for over 1 100 employees of the NTI bus company who had not been paid for five months. Workers union SAWU YA BASHUMI spent the day on Wednesday chanting in Mahikeng in support of all workers, who have been camping in the Mmabatho CBD for the past seven days.

The union says the North West provincial legislature has approved a R75 million budget for the salaries to be paid. However, the provincial transport department says it won’t release the drivers’ salaries as the company is currently under business rescue.

The workers had this to say:

“We have chronic diseases; as I speak, I’m asthmatic, and I don’t even have medication. So, others were taken by ambulances because we are ill. Our children are unable to go to school. Now that it’s almost January, we don’t have funds for universities because NSFAS says we qualify to pay for our children’s education but we don’t. We are sitting here; it’s really hard. We can’t even go home,” explains one worker.

“Our policies have lapsed; our parents are sick. We don’t know what to do. I don’t even want to mention Royal because it lapsed three times. Mr. Kekana, show sympathy for us. Think about us when you drink your whisky. We are hurting,” laments another worker.

According to SAWU YA BASHUMI’s general secretary, Lebusa Mamaregane, provincial transport authorities promised to pay the salaries after the budget was approved by the legislature.

“After the R75 million was approved, Comrade Dr. Hans Kekana made it very clear to workers that their workers are going to be paid their salaries before at least Christmas because the money already has been approved by the provincial legislature. We understood processes that the money would probably take a couple of days before it goes to the account of the workers. But by the dates that were given until now, the money would have been in the accounts of the workers.”

WATCH: North West | 1 100 NTI employees face a bleak Christmas