Eskom to prioritize locals in business

BETHAL – Eskom and Bethal Business Forum has met consensus regarding businesses and employment.

This came after the forum raised concerns about jobs not given to locals.

Members of the forum took to the streets on Thursday, 7 June to voice their frustration.

It is alleged that on that day the protesters stopped a truck transporting coal and instructed the driver to offload the coal on the Morgenzon/Bethal road.

Police said the reason for the protest was that Bethal Business Forum needs employment for the youth of Bethal and that Eskom has to give them sub-contracts as they’ve been engaging with them for a long time.

Residents began looting soon after that and the driver managed to escape without harm.

In a press statement, Eskom said it learnt with dismay of the protest in Bethal which resulted in the blockading of the road and an attack of a truck driver.

“The incident was regrettable. However, Eskom was able to find a common understanding with the leaders of Bethal Business Forum and the trucks were released and operations were reverted to normal.

“Eskom met with the leadership of Bethal Business Forum at its head office in Sunninghill on 8 June to discuss and clarify, among other issues, the business opportunities available to Mpumalanga locals and the recently publicised Request for Information (RFI) reserved exclusively for developmental purposes for Mpumalanga communities.

“Eskom recently issued an RFI exclusively for Mpumalanga-based transport businesses as a measure to ensure that local businesses benefit from opportunities in their area,” stated Eskom.

Ms Susan Ngwenya, founder of the forum, said the forum is still waiting for formal feed back from Eskom.

She said they are going to meet with Eskom soon to discuss the matter further.