14 Suicides Linked to Bus Salary Crisis

North West – For months, the men and women who keep the province moving — bus drivers, mechanics, and support staff — have lived through a nightmare. Salaries have gone unpaid, families have gone hungry, and tragically, at least 14 workers have lost their lives to suicide in the wake of this crisis, reports the North West Provincial Legislature on 18 August 2025.

The crisis stems from legal battles and drawn-out appeals that have delayed the business rescue process of North West Transport Investments (NTI). These delays mean workers remain unpaid while cases wind their way through the courts. The impact has been described by officials as a “humanitarian emergency”, with many families facing repossession of homes, unpaid bills, and unbearable stress.

Calls are now growing louder for urgent government intervention. Community leaders have demanded that the Premier and relevant provincial departments immediately step in, meet with NTI leadership, and find ways to release salaries — even while court battles continue. 

The wheels of justice — and of the buses that carry thousands daily — cannot keep turning at such a human cost.