Aggrieved business council hands over memorandum at Tutuka
According to Mr Selepe, 21 business structures do not have a seat on the Eskom Forum at Tutuka and employment procedures, as agreed upon, are not honoured.
The early rain on Wednesday, 22 January did not deter the Lekwa Black Business Council (LBBC) to proceed with their peaceful protest to Tutuka Power Station to voice their grievances and hand over a memorandum.
The Standerton Advertiser had a meeting with the chairman of the LBBC, Mr Nicholas Selepe, in Vry Street the same day at 7.45am, amid a bus and vehicles parked at the offices of the Standerton Taxi Association.
According to Mr Selepe, 21 business structures do not have a seat on the Eskom Forum at Tutuka and employment procedures, as agreed upon, are not honoured.
“The forum’s representatives are missing the point,” Mr Selepe said.
“It has to be restructured and stand for community development.”
The march, which was approved, began at the Sakhile Stadium and a memorandum was handed over to Mr Patrick Nkosi, acting station manager, demanding that:
• The Eskom Forum stops operating with immediate effect and a discussion on a new representation model be held.
• Mr Vusi Silawu be removed from the forum.
Allegations about self-serving interests and involvement in creating a conduit pipeline for eMalahleni (Witbank) companies are cited in the document.
• Permanent, temporary and outage-related employment for Lekwa-residents be prioritised.
The above included engaging with Gert Sibande TVET College to develop programmes focused on producing the needed skills for Eskom and external labour brokers from Johannesburg and eMalahleni be stopped from working at Tutuka.
• Wards 13 and 14, as well as the rural Wards 9 and 12, be included in employment opportunities.
• Small, medium and macro-enterprises (SMME) be developed.
Another demand was that personnel transportation, commissioned by Megawatt Park in Johannesburg, be advertised immediately.
• The hub be moved to the town’s CBD with other available hubs in Morgenzon and Wards 9, 12 and 13.
The LBBC gave a seven day period for a response from Tutuka.
The newspaper is in possession of a letter, written by a resident in November last year, in which the forum’s dealings as regards to accommodation providers, transport and labour brokers are questioned.
As regards accommodation, Mr Selepe said some forum members are creating a platform to play middleman.
He referred to the transportation issue by quoting the National Land Transportation Act of 2009 where a permit is required to transport workers to en from their homes to work.
“Local bus companies and Standerton Taxi Association have such permits,” he added.
The question about labour brokers was answered by mentioning the agreement that 30 per cent of employment can be sourced from structures and 70 per cent from the database.
The newspaper contacted Mr Marcus Nemadodzi, station manager, on Wednesday, for comment and agreed to send an e-mail with relevant questions for a considered reply to be given, but no comment was received at the time of going to press.
