The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is set to intensify its opposition to the unbundling and potential privatization of Eskom through a series of coordinated regional marches across all 11 of its regions.
The union announced these plans during a press briefing held at its headquarters in Marshall Town, Johannesburg, following a resolution from its National Executive Committee (NEC). The mass mobilizations aim to target Eskom offices and various government departments nationwide, voicing the NUM’s firm rejection of the restructuring process.
The NUM has long maintained that unbundling Eskom—particularly dividing it into separate entities for generation, transmission, and distribution—would primarily benefit the private sector rather than the public or workers. The union accuses the government of pushing toward privatization of the state-owned entity. It specifically criticized statements by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his State of the Nation Address, where he outlined an expedited process to transfer certain Eskom assets, including on the transmission side, to an independent Transmission System Operator. The NUM argues this move will not serve the public interest and threatens national energy security, job security, and could lead to a return of load shedding if workers are not protected.
The briefing highlighted that the NUM, as the majority union at Eskom with approximately 15,000 members among its workforce, warned that these workers are prepared to down tools in support of the demonstrations if their concerns are ignored.
The actions coincide with ongoing challenges for the union. Wage negotiations with Eskom remain deadlocked, with the NUM initially demanding a 15% increase before revising it to 12%. Eskom’s offers have fallen short, and the union emphasized that workers’ hard work has contributed to recent improvements at the utility, often described as having “turned the corner.”
Additionally, the NUM expressed frustration with developments in the ferrochrome smelter industry. It referenced an earlier announcement by a minister to reduce electricity tariffs for ferrochrome smelters from 8 cents to 6 cents per kilowatt hour as a lifeline for the sector. However, the union was surprised and dismayed that one of the companies benefiting from this intervention, is proceeding with a Section 189 retrenchment process that could affect a significant number of jobs. The NUM vowed to push back against these retrenchments.
Through the regional marches—some of which have already occurred, including in the Eastern Cape—the union plans to approach relevant ministries, including the Ministry of Electricity and the Ministry of Public Service and Administration, demanding they address workers’ concerns. The NUM describes its members as the “heart and backbone” of Eskom and insists that protecting them is essential to sustaining the entity as a public asset.
The press briefing provided details on the strategy moving forward, with further marches scheduled in regions such as the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal in the coming days. The union reiterated its call to halt the unbundling process entirely and focus instead on strengthening Eskom as a unified, state-owned power utility.