NUM Highveld region met with Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan discussing loadshedding challenges

30 January 2023

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) Highveld Region which is located in Mpumalanga where majority of Eskom Power Station are situated, had a meeting with Minister Gordhan last week Friday (27 January 2023).

The meeting was about discussing a way forward with regard to the continued loadsheddingthat is currently sabotaging and causing lot of uncertainties to the  country’s economic future and general social lives.

The NUM which is the majority trade union at Eskom submitted a very comprehensive and detailed plans to the Minister on how we believe we can defeat load-shedding.

The NUM is a pragmatic trade union movement that believes in collective efforts that should bring a permanent solution to the load-shedding problems. Unlike other spectators that we are seeing on daily basis, parading as energy experts yet they do not bring any solution to the table. Those spectators do not even know how does the boiler or turbine look like, and instead, they rely on Google search to understand the functioning of the power utility. As the NUM we say don’t mourn, but organise.

During the meeting we have also listened to the intense, knowledgeable and deep understanding of the challenges confronting Eskom presented to us by the Minister.

During our discussions we all agreed that:

1. State Capture played a vital role in collapsing Eskom, in that during the years of the State Capture several Eskom Units were not serviced.
2. That cabal and remnants of the State Capture created a mess, and we are also aware that there’s a push back from beneficiaries of the State Capture.
3. We also agreed that the corrupt elements in Eskom must be attended to with immediate effect.
4. We can no longer afford to become spectators when service providers are in cahoots with some of Eskom employees inflating prices.
5. We must not tolerate corruption and we must expose those who are corrupt.
6. That the buying of sub-standard material to fix Eskom plants must be the thing of the past, in which we gave a detailed strategy on how should the Minister handle this matter.

The NUM will be observing and monitoring as to whether the proposal made are implemented by the Minister.

We have no doubts that a permanent solution could be found, however we must continue to hold the Minister accountable at all times as opposed to those who shout from the roofs, in places of comfort and tranquility, but not bringing solutions to the table.

Issued by Malekutu Bizzah Motubatse, NUM Highveld Regional Chairperson, 30 January 2023