Eskom Senior Managers’ Pay Demands “Holding Country to Ransom”

Salary and bonus demands by senior managers at the already financially troubled Eskom could cost the utility R300 million, according to the Democatic Alliance, who said this was akin to holding the economy to ransom.

The managers earn between R1.5 millon and R3 million a year, according to a statement released today by the DA, which called for a responsible solution to the demands. Eskom last week reported that its debt had ballooned by R20.7 billion in the past year.

Eskom warned that the utility faced a strike and load shedding later in the year if these managerial demands were not met, the DA said in a statement on Monday, adding that “reports also indicate that the senior managers have now approached the CCMA (council for mediation and arbitration) to resolve the matter.”

The DA said: “Senior management should be an example when it comes to austerity measures by reviewing salaries, instead of holding the country and the economy to ransom because they have not been given a salary increase.”