Kamogelo Olaitan
Eskom has extended stage 4 load shedding until Wednesday morning due to “unlawful action” at some of its power stations.
The power utility said on Sunday that several power stations had been impacted by planned maintenance and repairs, while at others, “the full complement of workers have not reported for duty”.
Eskom chief operating officer Jan Oberholzer said on Friday that about 100 workers at several power stations – including Matla, Duvha and Medupi – are on an illegal strike.
“Some of our power stations do not have the necessary human resources to run safely or efficiently, while several other workers have been intimidated and threatened from working,” Oberholzer told the media.
Striking workers had blocked roads to its facilities illegally at various power stations on Friday, Eskom said, which stopped more than 200 workers from entering its plants. Several workers had also been intimidated into staying at home.
“As a result unplanned generation losses have not been reduced as planned, which has compelled Eskom to continue taking precautionary measures to conserve generation capacity and safeguard plants from damage,” the utility said.
Eskom has appealed to its labour partners and striking employees to “put the people of South Africa first and desist from unlawful and undemocratic conduct”.
