The South Africa Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) is not shocked over the City of Johannesburg’s implementation of load reduction. City Power of Johannesburg has announced that residents will experience load reduction during winter 2024. This is completely an inconvenience to workers throughout the city.
We have succumbed to the absolutely low-quality electricity service in this country; the Johannesburg Metro electricity service provider has disappointed their residents, living up to the bad reputation Eskom has managed to build in the past 17 years.
It has been 76 Days since the country’s last load shedding schedule, and for the city’s grid to be overloaded and unmanageable during a time where power is mostly needed for warm water, warm meals and light is not just an inconvenience, it’s a disruption to the very fabric of our daily lives. The load reduction schedule indicates that it will run between 06:00-10:00 am and between 16:00-22:00. These are peak hours for preparations for work/school, travel, starting a workday, ending a workday and preparations for supper/homework, it disrupts back the routine that workers throughout the city have managed to put in motion for the past two (2) and half months.
As of 2022, the city of Johannesburg had 6,6 million residents, and City Power’s inability to supply stable electricity to only 9 % of the country’s population is a clear indication of how the city’s services are deteriorating. Its governance has not shown a clear way forward to better cater to its residents.
The City’s tariffs in 2023/24 had a 2% increase, whilst the average cost of a household grocery also increased from R 4 910,49 to R 5 410,49. This leaves workers in a financially overstretched position, struggling to afford their basic needs. The load reduction is not just an inconvenience, it’s a cruel financial punishment to the residents of Johannesburg, as it burdens them with extra cost for alternative energy sources just as load shedding has been torturing the country since 2007.
We urgently call on the City’s Governance to immediately seek a solution and spare the residents the atrocious cycle of constantly being without any power. The time for action is now.
