This news aggregator site highlights South African labour news from a wide range of internet and print sources. Each posting has a synopsis of the source article, together with a link or reference to the original. Postings cover the range of labour related matters from industrial relations to generalist human resources.
The Citizen writes that the privatisation of Eskom is increasingly probable under the present government, but the power utility is mired in vested interests that favour the status quo, say critics.
Peter Major of Cadiz Corporate Solutions says that while privatisation is not the answer for every state entity, it may be time for the ANC to ease the burden and allow for private equity, as several former state-owned entities (SOE) have done. “There was a time when the state could handle it, but now privatisation could bring much-needed relief,” he reckons. Supporting that argument is energy expert Chris Yelland, who suggests that SA has efficiently opened up many former SOEs for private equity, with favourable results for the economy, job creation and the fiscus. Political parties are divided on the Eskom issue. Within the ruling party, it is clear that while President Cyril Ramaphosa and others appear more open and in support of privatising Eskom, an equally powerful sect is staunchly against it. Tripartite alliance partner the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) changed its tune about two weeks ago, saying “it was not against the unbundling of Eskom as long as it was not privatisation”. This was after it threatened to march against the unbundling, which was announced earlier this year, because this was seen as a step closer to privatisation. The Democratic Alliance (DA) supports a change in the status quo, while the more conservative Congress of the People (Cope) wants the utility to stay in government hands, just under a “better” governance.
- Read the full original of Simnikiwe Hlatshaneni’s report in the above regard at The Citizen
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page