Pretoria - The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) in Gauteng has called for the City of Tshwane to be transparent during its consultation process regarding a proposed leasing of Rooiwal and Pretoria West power stations to independent power producers.
This comes after mayor Cilliers Brink this week unveiled an energy master plan for the metro to procure at least 1 000 megawatts of electricity independent from the struggling Eskom in the next three years.
Brink said the plan aims to reduce reliance on the ailing power utility and mitigate the negative impact of the ongoing load shedding imposed by Eskom on the municipality.
Last week, the council resolved to subject the proposed alternative energy generation to a public participation process.
Samwu provincial secretary Mpho Tladinyane said the union acknowledged Brink’s statement regarding the future of both Rooiwal and Pretoria West power stations.
“The City of Tshwane has clearly articulated its intention to lease the two power stations to a private service provider for a duration of 40 years, with the aim of generating a minimum of 1 000 megawatts. Samwu has consistently provided suggestions to the employer to ensure the effective operation of these power stations,” he said.
He said while the union appreciated a proposal for additional megawatts to the grid to alleviate load shedding, it “cannot overlook the negative experience associated with the Kratos unsolicited bid saga”.
By Kratos’ unsolicited bid saga, he was referring to a previous proposal by the then mayor Randall Williams involving the R26 billion unsolicited bid proposal for power generation made by a private company, the Kratos Consortium.
The proposal elicited negative criticism after it emerged that Williams allegedly meddled in the municipal procurement processes.
He was, however, cleared of any wrongdoing following a probe into allegations that he meddled into the procurement processes.
During last week’s council sitting, EFF regional leader in Tshwane Obakeng Ramabodu maintained that the party did not support proposal.
“The argument of the EFF is that this thing came with the previous mayor as an unsolicited bid, and it looks like someone went and polished and brought it back,” he said.
Tladinyane said: “It is disappointing that the City chose to engage with the media before consulting with labour representatives and the affected employees. As a progressive union, Samwu recognises the authority vested in the council concerning the leasing of municipal assets.”
He added that the union was calling for adherence to “an open and transparent process that adheres to the Municipal Finance Management Act, especially Section 14.”
He also wanted the Ccity to consult with labour on the outcomes of Section 78 reports and to ensure that there were no identified or favoured service providers.
The union wanted the council to commit to provide proper oversight throughout the process and guarantee that no jobs would be lost in the transition.
The appointment of a private service provider for Rooiwal is expected to be concluded at the end of 2023/2024 financial year.
Pretoria News