NUM calls on Eskom Executive and board to resign

9 November 2021

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) calls on the Eskom board and Executive under the leadership of Andre De Ruyter to resign. The leadership of  De Ruyter has sold South Africans a dead cat. They promised that they will resolve the problem of load shedding in 18 months. They dismally failed to meet their set target. All we need is the leadership that will keep the lights burning.

"The electricity situation in this country has reached a crisis level. We need the government to provide leadership by declaring this situation a national crisis. Workers are losing their jobs and income. Small and medium businesses are suffering while some are closing. All this is happening while the economy is still trying to recover from the COVID-19 impact," said William Mabapa, NUM Acting General Secretary.

"The Eskom leadership presented a turnaround strategy that is not tailored to solve the load shedding problems that we are experiencing now. A turnaround strategy is supposed to have short-term, medium-term and long-term solutions. The strategy presented by De Ruyter focused on unbundling Eskom and disposing of some of its assets. Unbundling is presented as a panacea for all Eskom problems. The NUM is on record as opposed to this way of thinking," Mabapa added.

The executive leadership of De Ruyter has been undermining trade unions. They do not respect the agreements with trade unions. They have changed workers' conditions of employment unilaterally. Andre De Ruyter and his executive operate as if there are no trade unions at Eskom.

The executive leadership of De Rutyer and the board must do South African a favour and resign from their positions or the government must intervene and release this incompetent and useless leadership. We call on the government to set up a team of competent South Africans to run Eskom while waiting for the appointment of a new board and executives.

Issued by William Mabapa, NUM Acting General Secretary, 9 November 2021