ANA reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) has accused the governing African National Congress (ANC) of pursuing what it called “nefarious” plans to privatise power utility Eskom and other cash-strapped state-owned enterprises (SOEs).
In a column published in City Press on Sunday, Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim said senior management at Eskom and the government had identified privatisation as a way of covering up “for their ineptitude and corruption” at the entity, which has been at the centre of allegations of corruption and state capture. Numsa, which has launched a new political party to contest this year’s general elections, said Jim’s article “perfectly summarises our position on Eskom”. The recent ANC lekgotla recommended that Eskom be restructured and broken into generation, transmission and distribution units. The ANC has long shown its lack of appetite to privatise cash-strapped state firms, but has in recent years hinted it might not have an option but to invite at least partial private investment in some, including Eskom. Jim said any such plans would lead to retrenchments. “History has shown us that privatisation is not beneficial because it always leads to massive job cuts and because profit is the motive, it translates to higher costs for the consumer,” he stated.
- Read this ANA report in full at The Citizen
- Read Irvin Jim’s article in full at SA Labour News
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page