South Africa’s state-owned utility Eskom faces more problems than just complaints about load shedding. The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said its 16,000 workers at Eskom will walk out next week if a pay increase of 14% is not instituted.
According to the firm, it generates 95% of South Africa’s electricity operating 11 coal-fired power stations and Africa’s only nuclear-powered plant.
Residents in poorer areas have protested as tensions flare over the inaccessibility of basic services such as water and electricity. The African National Congress is taking a great deal of backlash as many are staging protests as ANC leader Jacob Zuma took over as the country’s president.