You may have noticed that more and more disruption is plagueing the supply of energy. As the economic troubles worsen, so do the systems that work together to deliver our energy. Strikes, protests, shutdowns and liquidations conspire to break the supply machine.
South Africans returning home from work are also seeing a return of warning bulletins on their televisions - that electricity supply is under pressure. Many of the projects that were slated to solve this supply problem are now on hold. Others have suggested that the shutdown of large energy sapping Aluminium smelters would solve the supply problem - it hasn't, because the problem is a peak electricity problem, not a capacity problem.
Motorists and petrol station owners should brace themselves for a dry Easter holidays as truck drivers transporting petrol embark on a national strike from today. The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) told Sowetan yesterday that the strike would go ahead despite talks with the Road Freight Association (RFA).
“The strike is on. There is nothing tangible from our negotiations,” said union spokesperson Tabudi Ramakgolo.
Satawu is demanding a minimum wage increase of a 13 percent across the board. This means a long-distance driver who is currently earning R4317 a month would earn R6000 .
Employers are offering an 11 percent increase.
In a statement yesterday, the RFA accused the union of failing to take the current economic climate into account in their demands for wage increases that “are excessive in the extreme”.
He said South Africa would be without petrol as petrol stations had a two-day lead time at most.
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