SAFTU to picket outside DPE offices over load shedding court ruling

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan will appeal a court order to exempt schools from load shedding. SAFTU is against this.

The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) is planning a picket outside the Department of Public Enterprises offices to challenge Pravin Gordhan’s appeal of a ruling regarding exempting government institutions from load shedding.

In a ruling earlier this month, the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria ordered the government to exempt public schools, SAPS and police stations, and public health institutions from load shedding. The High Court specifically instructed the Minister of Public Enterprises to take reasonable steps within 60 days (from the time of the ruling) to ensure sufficient electricity generation to prevent power cuts for these essential institutions or through any means to ensure these institutions have electricity.

SAFTU TO PICKET OUTSIDE DPE OFFICES

Following the ruling, the Minister of Public Enterprises, Pravin Gordhan revealed that he plans to appeal this ruling based on a claim that it negatively impacts “efforts to stabilise the national grid and get the country out of load shedding”.

SAFTU said instead of channelling the financial resources to fight the challenge of the court ruling, the Minister must channel these resources to ensure that they restore Eskom to stability and provide uninterrupted electricity to households and the people.

SAFTU spokesperson Trvor Shaku said to actualise our opposition to the intention by Minister Gordhan to appeal the first leg of this ruling, SAFTU will picket outside the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) national offices in Pretoria on Friday, 26 May 2023, from 10:00.

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Shaku said Gordhan and the Minister of Electricity must ensure Eskom is fixed to provide uninterrupted electricity to people.

“The load shedding crisis is a crisis of their making; they should not offload it onto our backs for us to shoulder. Load shedding also violates human rights (right to life, right to education, healthcare and security, etc.) in many ways and disadvantages the working class who receive the essential services in the institutions that the North Gauteng High Court had ordered that they be exempted,” Shaku said.

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