AfriForum Seeks Court Action Against Eskom Workers Engaging in Unlawful Protests, Following Stage 6 Blackouts
- AfriForum plans to take legal action against the striking Eskom workers who are reportedly intimidating their colleagues
- The civil rights organisation wants an urgent application to compel law enforcers to act against the employees
- AfriForum also claims that Eskom has a court order declaring the strike illegal, however, the power utility has failed to enforce it
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JOHANNESBURG - Civil rights organisation AfriForum has threatened to take legal action against striking Eskom workers following the implementation of Stage 6 loadshedding on Tuesday, 28 June.
The strike has further hampered the already exacerbated power utility. As a result, AfriForum’s legal team has been instructed to bring an urgent application to the Pretoria High Court to compel law enforcers to act against the employees.
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The striking workers are allegedly intimidating and harassing their colleagues. The organisation said the labour dispute has led to non-striking employees struggling to keep the lights on due to alleged sabotage, TimesLIVE reported.
AfriForum also claims that Eskom has a court order declaring the strike illegal but has failed to enforce it. It further claims that several Eskom managers had their homes allegedly set alight.
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The organisation believes that police and the defence force will have to work together to bring calm to the situation. Johannesburg’s City Power’s Spokesperson Isaac Mangena told SABC News that customers should brace themselves for loadshedding to be implemented three to four times daily.
Citizens react to Eskom’s striking workers
Social media users are divided on AfriForum’s threat to seek legal action, with many saying that the power utility should be held accountable:
@simthesisss said:
“The nation and economy should not be compromised by Eskom’s internal issues. Management could and should do better. They are all not new to this. Any hope of economic recovery in a post Covid lockdown market is becoming significantly reduced. Own goals all around.”
@nature_ti commented:
“And people will blame Afriforum and not Eskom employees.”
@bobo_eiby posted:
“They must IN FACT take legal action against Eskom top leadership, not the ordinary employees, AfriForum must be mad!”
@sam_khaya wrote:
“Afriforum is bored they should be taking Eskom to court for failing its citizens.”
@Arkangelkratos stated:
“Do it. Eskom and its management are encouraging lawlessness, disobedience and anarchy by not prosecuting them. ESKOM is a key sector. They by law cannot strike. It’s terrorism.”
@WilsonMoira added:
“Thank you AfriForum, we the citizens have had enough of union lawlessness.”
Loadshedding moves to Stage 6, Eskom CEO Andre De Ruyter blames continued unlawful protests by employees
In a related matter, Briefly News also reported Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter has indicated that there are a number of factors in play that can influence South Africa moving to higher stages of loadshedding. In a press statement issued on Tuesday, Eskom announced that loadshedding will be moving to Stage 6 from 4pm until 10pm.
Stage 4 will then be implemented from 10pm to midnight. Eskom stated that rolling blackouts will then be downgraded to Stage 2 between midnight and 5am on Wednesday, 29 June before returning to Stage 4 again.
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Source: Briefly News
