South Africa’s power grid remains under pressure on Friday, with controlled blackouts possible, due to workers striking over pay, in what marks a test of new President Cyril Ramaphosa’s efforts put the state electricity provider back on a stable financial footing.
A spokesman for Eskom, which produces more than 90% South Africa’s power, said the grid was stable, but controlled outages were possible in the evening if workers were prevented from turning up for duty.
Cutting costs at troubled state entities such as Eskom is a top priority for Ramaphosa, and the current labour unrest will test his administration’s commitment to reforms.
Eskom implemented controlled power outages late on Thursday after hundreds of union members protested over wages and prevented others from showing up.
A National Union of Mineworkers spokesman said its members planned to picket outside Eskom power stations from 12 p.m.
NUM, which claims to have 15,000 members at Eskom, about a third of its labour force, and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) are demanding 15% pay hikes.
The utility has said it cannot afford to offer any raises this year.
It has however been reported that Eskom issued workers with an interdict not to strike.
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