THE National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) has filed papers in the North Gauteng High Court to get the government to stop load shedding.
Numsa said the ANC-led government is not moving quickly and decisively to stop the destructive rolling blackouts that are sabotaging the economy.
“Load shedding is destroying jobs and the livelihoods of our people and it is killing patients in hospitals,” Numsa’s general secretary, Irvin Jim, said.
In a statement, Jim said: “We have noted the press conference held by the Eskom leadership over the weekend where they said they would reduce load shedding to stage two and three for the next two years, while they correct the power supply crisis. We condemn the board, the Eskom executive management and the shareholder which is the ANC government for this mediocre response to an economic catastrophe. In January 2018 we had excess power. But as we sit today, this government has destroyed Eskom to the extent where it cannot even keep the lights on for 24 hours.”
According to Jim, Numsa is participating in an urgent court action to compel the president of the country, the national government, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, Minerals and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) and the Eskom board and management to account for load shedding.
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The first part of the application is to seek an urgent order from the court, to stop load shedding in public hospitals, clinics and public schools, electronic communication networks, and any other networks necessary for mobile phone operation.
“We are also wanting the courts to suspend the decision by Nersa to impose a 18,65% tariff increase,” he said.
“As the largest trade union in South Africa, we do not see government treating this matter with the urgency it deserves. These rolling blackouts have been bleeding the economy, destroying jobs and people’s livelihoods. Load shedding has cost the economy not less than R1,2 trillion from 2018 to 2022 excluding the crisis we are undergoing in this month of January,” Jim said.
