NUMSA (National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa) has welcomed the High Court judgment, ordering the Energy minister, Kgosientso Ramokgopa, to take all reasonable steps, to ensure that there is sufficient supply of electricity to prevent loadshedding (power cuts) in critical sectors of the economy.
NUMSA said on Wednesday: ‘All public hospitals, SAPS police stations as well as all public schools must be exempted from loadshedding from the 31st of January 2024.
‘NUMSA has been vindicated for playing a central role in putting up this fight with other working class formations and political parties. This victory belongs to the working class and the poor of our country.
‘The court found that load- shedding was violating the basic right to access education, the right to life and healthcare was also threatened because of the impact of rolling blackouts on hospitals, as well as the right of our people to safety because rolling black outs negatively impact on police stations.
‘Currently, other critical sectors in the economy such as, the engineering, metal, steel, auto sector, smelters, mines and other companies, in terms of backwards and forward linkages, in terms of upstream and downstream industries, are victims of deliberate economic sabotage caused by rolling blackouts, which have been allowed by government.
‘This government needs to correct the stupid reckless decision taken by the ex-GCEO of Eskom, Andre de Ruyter who clumsily disconnected 17 units from Komati, Hendrina and Grootvlei which is a total loss of 2200MW. What government needs to do, is to simply reconnect those units to the grid. In other words, they must reconnect all the power station units which they disconnected. This would end loadshedding.
‘NUMSA is aware that the reason they are reluctant to reconnect these units is because of the conditions of the $8.5 billion loan which they accepted and signed from the West without bothering to consult the South African people.
‘France, Germany, United Kingdom, the EU and the US (as part of the International Partners Group), organised the loan to be paid out over five years, to support the fake Just Transition. The terms and conditions of these agreements are extremely nonsensical because they state that once you disconnect the unit, you cannot reconnect it.
‘We also know that one of the other conditions is that South African must close more power stations, which means whilst we are experiencing the current rolling black outs which are sabotaging the economy, we are expected to act extremely stupid and close even more power stations.
‘As we celebrate our victory from court, we are making a clarion call to the ANC government and President Cyril Ramaphosa to move immediately to reconnect all the units that we disconnected. We must do this in order to stop the current threat to plant closures that will lead to a job loss blood bath.
‘It is stupid to continue to try to impress the West, on the basis that we are not touching coal and closing power stations, when they continue to rely on nuclear, gas and coal, as the baseload. At the same time, our best grades of coal are leaving this country in droves to power their economy, and the response from the West is to offer us loans not to touch coal.
‘We must learn from Germany which is desperately giving loans to developing countries to recklessly shutdown coal fired power stations, whilst pretending to be shutting down power stations in its own country, when in fact, they are putting them on contingency reserves so that when there’s not enough generating capacity demand, they are able to reconnect these units back to the grid and avoid loadshedding.
‘This was done without any hesitation and now Germany is set to miss its emissions targets because the German government knew that reliability of supply is sacrosanct. Over the past two days, Germany has been hit by major snowstorms, meaning there is not enough wind and sun to support their grid. During this period, Germany is relying on its coal-fired power stations to ensure that their citizens have reliable electricity supply.
‘This was achieved to the detriment of violating Germany’s Coal Exit Act. This simply means that Germany is hypocritical. They are pledging billions to South Africa to lower carbon emissions but they will do whatever it takes, to ensure their citizens have electricity.
‘Germans will not compromise at all on their ability to consistently power their economy with reliable energy supply. And they have done this even if it undermines their climate change goals to decarbonise.
‘It is utterly stupid that as a country we are prepared to sacrifice our already fragile and stagnant economy which is not creating jobs, and has been battered by a state that is pursuing austerity measures that cannot stimulate growth.
‘We are sabotaging ourselves in order to satisfy the IMF, the World Bank and ratings agencies who are champions of belt tightening and privatisation.
‘NUMSA says: “Enough is enough!” We have never seen a state in any part of the world that is prepared to declare itself as bankrupt, except the current ANC leadership. Such a state is not serious about its own people and does not take itself seriously enough to lead development.’
- The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has applauded Parliament’s finalisation and adoption of the long delayed National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill.
It said: ‘The Federation is heartened that the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) stood up to the insatiable lobbying by business to delay today’s scheduled passage of the NHI Bill. Pandering to the vested interests of private industry’s lust for profits at the expense of the health of millions of ordinary South Africans would mark a dark day in our democracy.
‘The NHI Bill and policy mandate have been adopted by Cabinet, passed by both Houses of Parliament and received overwhelming support from thousands of workers attending public hearings on the NHI Bill over the past 4 years. The Federation remains convinced that South Africa’s myriad of healthcare crises require the creation of a National Health Insurance (NHI).
‘COSATU and the overwhelming majority of workers are in support of an NHI. It is a government policy and market failure that 29 years into democracy most South Africans, in particular the working class, lack access to quality and affordable health care. This is not due to lack of resources but to their blatantly skewed distribution.
‘Government cannot continue to place the profit margins of private industry above the needs of society.
‘South Africa spends 8.5% of its Gross Domestic Product on healthcare. This is higher than many industrialised and peer nations. However, half of this is spent on the 16% of society fortunate enough to have medical aid.
‘The other half is spent on public health care for the 84% dependent upon the state. As a result, we have first class but under-utilised private health care available for 16% but charged at exorbitant prices and public health care overwhelmed with long queues, critical post vacancies, aging infrastructure and shortages and thus battling to provide basic health care for the 84% of society.
‘Consequently, many workers and their families are infected and dying from easily preventable and manageable diseases. Even workers fortunate enough to have medical aid, battle to afford to pay the ever-increasing medical tariffs.
‘Most workers’ medical aids are depleted halfway through the year and are shamefully saddled with unaffordable co-payments. They are often forced to forego necessary but unaffordable treatment. The economy needs a healthy workforce if it is to meet its full potential.
‘The reality is that South Africa’s public and private health care systems are broken and unsustainable. It is critical that the NHI Bill be passed by the National Council of Provinces. Government needs to move with speed to resource and build a quality NHI that will guarantee quality, accessible and affordable universal health coverage for all South Africans. Internationally the equivalents of an NHI in Scandinavia and elsewhere have worked well and provide positive models for South Africa.
We cannot afford to be a nation that 29 years after 1994 still grapples with the blatantly unequal and racially skewed distribution of resources and access to health care. The right to life and access to health care are inalienable constitutional rights. It is time that all South Africans are afforded these rights.
‘COSATU urges President Cyril Ramaphosa to assent to this long overdue, historic and progressive Bill that will change the lives of millions of destitute South Africans.’
