Several trade unions marched against the unbundling of Eskom and privatization in Bloemfontein and Pinetown, on Saturday.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), and the Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU), marched to the Free State Premier’s office, to hand over a memorandum of grievances, while others went to Eskom’s New Germany offices in Pinetown.
Phillip Vilakazi, NUM President, led the march in Pinetown.
POPCRU said in a statement, it supports the NUM in defending Eskom, workers’ jobs and South Africa’s energy sovereignty.
POPCRU’s Richard Mamabolo, said “recent developments in the energy sector have also exposed worrying policy contradictions. For several years, households were encouraged to invest in solar energy solutions as a response to the electricity crisis. However, many South Africans are now confronted with the prospect of being required to pay additional charges simply for having solar systems installed in their homes. Such developments raise legitimate concerns among ordinary citizens who made personal financial sacrifices in order to contribute to energy stability. These contradictions undermine public trust and reinforce perceptions that energy policy is increasingly shifting away from the interests of the people.”
He added “equally troubling are emerging reports and perceptions that the transmission infrastructure may ultimately be opened to private interests or sold to the highest bidder through the creation of an independent transmission entity. If such a trajectory were to materialize, it would represent a clear form of privatisation of one of South Africa’s most strategic national assets.”
Picture: Supplied