Johannesburg - The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) will convene a press briefing this morning after what it called it’s successful national collective bargaining conference.
The virtual conference was held last week.
The briefing is expected to deal with the 2021 wage negotiations in the gold and energy sectors, vaccination of workers in these sectors with NUM taking a specific focus on the second phase of the South African vaccination programme.
The briefing will also outline NUM’s sentiments on the protection of women at work, retrenchment processes, challenges of pension funds, the implications of independent power producers on Eskom, supporting the unity of the ANC as well as growing corruption allegations against Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter.
A 36-page criminal complaint signed by a commissioner of oaths and authored by NUM deputy president Philip Vilakazi was also submitted to police in support of opening the case. NUM collaborated with the South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) to lay charges against Eskom.
According to the affidavit, Vilakazi - who accompanied Saftu general-secretary Zwelinzima Vavi to the police station, alleged that De Ruyter and Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan have both been “remiss” in promoting cost-effective procurement mandated by their fiduciary positions.
In the affidavit, Vilakazi alleges that Eskom engaged in two transactions which effectively financed the Seriti purchase of South 32 assets.
“The first payment to South 32 Investment LTD (London) of around R1.3 billion for payment of coal which the National Treasury approved.
“The second approved payment of R67 billion via a grossly inflated future coal price which National Treasury blocked,” said Vilakazi.
Political Bureau