Electricity crisis vindicates COSATU mass action

By Mishkah Anthony
28 August 2008

The Congress of South African Trade Unions says admissions made about the cost of the electricity crisis “totally vindicate” its campaign of mass action.

National Energy Regulator of South Africa chief executive officer Smunda Mokoena said at a conference this week that Eskom's load-shedding earlier this year cost the economy around 50-billion-rands.

COSATU says this confirms its view that the energy crisis poses a real threat of job losses, an economic slowdown and far fewer new jobs being created.

COSATU spokesperson Patrick Craven says,
“We feel our campaign was justified and we think now that more and more people are getting their electricity bills, people are realising that they are paying for this crisis.”

Craven says this definitely reinforces the unions determination to keep campaigning to make sure that the workers do not pay for the electricity crisis by losing their jobs, and that the poor do not pay by being charged outrageous amounts for electricity.

Craven added, “This is none of their own responsibilities but the governments.”