The South African Parastatal and Tertiary Institutions Union (SAPTU) has welcomed the power-crisis plan to deal with South Africa’s electricity challenges.
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday announced a series of emergency measures to deal with the country’s electricity crisis.
“We are looking forward to see how this plan will be implemented and that it brings an end to the electricity crisis and the repercussions of this crisis,” said Adv. Ben van der Walt, SAPTU’s General Secretary.
Getting the private sector involved and getting rid of all the red tape for private projects are two of the pieces of good news according to Adv. Van der Walt.
“From our perspective it is good news to see the doors being opened for the private sector to get involved and private projects for electricity generation. We must use the intellectual capital we have available.”
Another positive to the President’s announcement is the fact that he stayed away from declaring a state of emergency due to the electricity crisis. A few institutions and parties have called for a state of emergency, but Ramaphosa did not bow to these pressures and for that SAPTU is also thankful.
Adv. Van der Walt added: “We know the challenge for the Eskom management is massive and a difficult task only gets more challenging when internal forces work against you, but we at SAPTU believe the current Eskom management is the team that will bring about the change needed.”
ABOUT SAPTU
SAPTU is a union for any employee working in South Africa. Originally established to serve members in the parastatal and tertiary institutions fields, we now represent a wide range of members, including the agricultural and hospitality industries.
We believe that the prosperity and dignity of our members are the most important values to protect in their place of work. To that end, SAPTU maintains good relations with employers to support members during salary negotiations, conditions of service, grievances and disputes. In addition, SAPTU members receive advice on legal and financial matters, as well as up to date information surrounding labour issues through our valuable affiliations.
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