Pretoria - Calls for a national shutdown continue to intensify, with the General Industries Workers Union of SA (Giwusa) urging different unions and civil society organisations to join hands in a fight against load shedding and Eskom’s 18.6% electricity tariff increase.
Giwusa president Mametlwe Sebei called on the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu), Cosatu, Federation of Unions of SA, National Council of Trade Unions and all independent trade unions to embark on a crusade against Eskom’s rolling blackouts.
Also invited to join the course of action were community civics, including Abahlali BaseMjondolo, Mining Affected Communities United in Action, the Mining and Environmental Justice Community Network, student parties and climate justice movements.
Sebei said all stakeholders should urgently meet to decide and organise a programme of co-ordinated, rolling mass actions, including a #NationalShutDown.
The decision for a national shutdown was taken during the union’s first meeting of the year held at the weekend by national office bearers.
Sebei added: “During this meeting, the national office bearers noted with dismay the worsening electricity crisis of load shedding, currently at stage 6, imposed by Eskom and Nersa’s callous decision to hike electricity tariffs by 18.6%.”
He said the union absolutely rejected “the attempt of the ANC government and the ruling class, to make the working class and middle class to bear the cost of this crisis.
“ Noting, however, that the ANC government is determined on its course, the national office bearers concluded that there is not any way of stopping them other than by means of a sustained campaign of rolling mass actions, starting with a follow up #NationalShutDown,” he said.
Giwusa intended to approach its federation, Saftu, to immediately convene an urgent meeting of an extended working class summit steering committee and to lead in engaging the other movements.
Sebei lamented the fact that Eskom had been brought to the brink of bankruptcy as a result of appalling levels of corruption, mismanagement and waste.
“It has been looted by corrupt criminals and has run up massive debts. Although the problem with the load shedding started in 2007 to 2008, the outline of this crisis was foreseeable as far back as the late 1990s and early 2000s.
“Eskom strategists and energy experts started projecting the shortfall in electricity supply lest the government started investing in new capacity.”
His utterance followed the announcement by civil rights movement #NotInMyName to march tomorrow against load shedding and the increased electricity tariffs.
The movement will demonstrate outside the Nersa offices and the Union Buildings, calling for the government to declare a national state of disaster in light of the rolling blackouts engulfing the country, among other demands.
New political party, the United Africans Transformation, under Abel Tau, and the Mamelodi Nellmapius Eersterust Stakeholders Forum, are also expected to take part in the march.
Pretoria News