Cape Town - A union and civil society coalition vowed on
Monday to protest against Eskom's proposed 16% electricity increase outside a
public hearing in Cape Town this week.
National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) spokesperson
Castro Ngobese said they would picket outside the Cape Town International
Convention Centre (CTICC) on Tuesday morning.
The CTICC is the venue for the first hearing by the National
Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa).
The union feared jobs would be lost and the cost of living
increase should Eskom's application to Nersa succeed.
Christelle Terreblanche, speaking on behalf of the One
Million Climate Jobs Campaign and other organisations, said they had been given
permission to demonstrate outside the convention centre at 1pm on Tuesday.
In attendance would be organisations such as the Energy
Governance Initiative-SA, Green Connection and the Right2Know campaign.
"We cannot allow Nersa to grant Eskom's application
without a thorough review of national energy and resource plans," Terreblanche
said.
"South Africa is already one of the world's biggest
emitters of greenhouse gasses and ranks number one in Africa. We have to answer
to the world for our debt to present and future generations."
Eskom applied for an average price increase of 16% for each
year from 2013/2014 to 2017/2018.
Nersa spokesperson Poppie Mahlangu said hearings would be
held in every province until the end of the month, to allow members of the
public and other organisations to ask questions.
Numsa secretary Irvin Jim indicated on Sunday that
shopstewards would picket at every hearing.
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