South Africa is facing a power crisis as citizens have been subjected to more than 1600 hours of continuous loadshedding so far this year. To address this, President Ramaphosa revealed a comprehensive plan to end power cuts.
The president elaborated on the plans which aim to improve the performance of Eskom’s existing fleet of power stations, accelerate the procurement of new generation capacity, increase private investment in generation capacity and encourage businesses and households to invest in rooftop solar power.
South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu), the second largest trade union in the country, say they were not consulted regarding the president's plans.
The union described the plans as a big win for the Democratic Alliance (DA) and big business. They added that electricity will become a commodity that will only be accessible by those who can afford the exorbitant prices.
“We, more than anyone else, are desperate to end load-shedding. But under the current Eskom management, load shedding may one day end, but the prices of electricity will be subjected to the rules of profit maximisation,” said the union.
The union's Zwelinzima Vavi says the president's announcement was fast-tracking the handing over of energy to the independent energy producers to maximise profits and to make money for the shareholders.
Many of us in the working class formation insist that energy is far too important of a commodity to be handed over to the private sector so that it can be used to maximise profits
The union is calling for a fair and just transition which involves consultations will all relevant stakeholders including unions, civil society, communities and governments. This, they believe, will allow them to develop a plan to end the country’s reliance on fossil fuels and remedy the energy crisis.
