Mail & Guardian reports that the National Transport Movement (NTM) union is in financial distress and has not paid the SA Revenue Service (Sars) or its employees’ provident fund contributions for months.  

At least three of its employees have reported union executives to the police, who are investigating cases of fraud.  The union’s general secretary, Ephraim Mphahlele, confirmed he was aware of the case opened against him and other office bearers, but said it was based on the “malicious lies” of a disgruntled former office bearer, Craig Nte.  Mphahlele commented that NTM was not the only entity that had defaulted on provident fund and tax payments and said further that:  “There are millions of companies in the country that have defaulted.  We are not in the wrong.  If we don’t have money, we don’t have money.”  According to a letter from Sars, dated September this year, NTM has failed to make payments of nearly R1-million for its employees’ taxes.  In another letter, dated 26 October last year, Old Mutual demanded that NTM had to pay the provident fund.  By April of this year, there was a letter confirming an application for the dissolution of the NTM’s Old Mutual Superfund.  Payslips show that PAYE and provident fund contributions have been deducted every month.  Nte, former NTM deputy secretary general, has also opened a case against Mphahlele for allegedly trying to apply for a home loan using Nte’s details.  Mphahlele has denied this allegation

• Read this report by Athandiwe Saba in full at M&G

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