NUM Responds to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Approval of the Eskom Restructuring Task Team (ERTT) Phase I Report

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) notes President Cyril Ramaphosa’s approval of the Eskom Restructuring Task Team (ERTT) Phase I Report, which recommends establishing an independent Transmission System Operator (TSO) separate from Eskom. While the Presidency asserts this move aims to foster competition, attract investment, and enhance energy security, NUM remains deeply concerned about its impact on workers, local communities, and Eskom’s long-term sustainability as a strategic state-owned enterprise.

While NUM recognizes the urgent need to expand South Africa’s transmission infrastructure, restructuring must not come at the cost of jobs, working conditions, collective bargaining rights, or public ownership. Eskom workers have borne the weight of keeping the grid stable, and their livelihoods must be protected.

Prioritizing Municipal Debt and Core Governance

NUM welcomes the report’s recognition that Eskom’s financial sustainability must be safeguarded and that mounting municipal debt poses a severe threat to the utility. We maintain that government must prioritize resolving municipal debt, improving revenue collection, and strengthening governance before introducing structural changes that risk operational stability and create worker uncertainty.

Firm Opposition to Asset Transfers and Private Sector Fragmentation

NUM strongly opposes any proposal to transfer strategic assets, infrastructure, employees, or operational functions from the National Transmission Company of South Africa (NTCSA) to a newly created TSO. Transferring transmission assets away from Eskom carries significant risks of fragmentation, increased private sector influence, and the gradual erosion of public control. NUM rejects any asset separation or transfer undertaken without the full consent and comprehensive consultation of organized labor.

International experience shows that market liberalization often leads to workforce reductions and compromised labor standards. NUM demands explicit guarantees from the government that no worker will loose their job or suffer degraded employment conditions as a result of these reforms.

Demand for Genuine Consultation and a Just Transition

As government enters Phase II to finalize an implementation plan over the next three months, NUM demands full and meaningful consultation at every stage. Labor must not be treated as passive observers in decisions that affect thousands of livelihoods.

Furthermore, any electricity sector reforms must adhere strictly to the principles of a Just Transition—prioritizing energy security, affordable power, industrial growth, localization, and public interest above private profit.

NUM Prepared to Mobilize and Pursue Legal Action

NUM unequivocally rejects the gradual privatization and liberalization of South Africa's electricity grid. Electricity is a strategic national asset. We call on government to halt all steps toward market liberalization until a comprehensive social compact is reached with labor and key stakeholders.

Should government proceed with reforms that threaten public ownership, undermine Eskom's strategic mandate, or compromise workers' rights without genuine consultation, NUM will utilize all available legal, constitutional, and organizational avenues including judicial intervention and worker mobilization to defend public ownership, protect jobs, and safeguard the nation’s energy sovereignty. Restructuring must place workers, communities, and national development at its center.

For more detailed information, please contact:

Khangela Baloyi, NUM Energy Sector Coordinator, 072 450 6251

The National Union of Mineworkers
7 Rissik Street.
Cnr Frederick Johannesburg
Tel: 011 377 2111 Cell: 083 809 3257
Twitter: @Num_Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/NUM/10086002340