The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in Mpumalanga fully supports the upcoming march led by the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in the Highveld Region against the unbundling and creeping privatisation of Eskom, particularly the establishment of the National Transmission Company (NTC).

The march will take place as follows:
Date: 17 April 2026
Time: 9 am
Assembly Point: Broadway Inn (next to Downtown Spar), Witbank
March Destination: Eskom Park, Witbank

COSATU views the unbundling of Eskom, and specifically the establishment of the NTC, as a direct threat to South Africa’s economic sovereignty, energy security, and the future of workers. This process poses severe risks to the country’s mining, manufacturing, and broader industrial economy—sectors that are the backbone of job creation and economic growth.

The fragmentation of Eskom opens the door to profit-driven interests at the expense of developmental objectives. It risks escalating electricity costs, undermining coordinated planning, and weakening the state’s ability to ensure reliable and affordable energy for all. Ultimately, it is the working class and the poor who will bear the brunt of these decisions.

We reject any attempt to commodify a strategic national asset such as electricity transmission. Energy must remain a public good, not a profit-making scheme for private entities. Run privately, the NTC will undermine Eskom’s ability to cross-subsidise and sustain equitable access to electricity, particularly for rural and working-class communities.

COSATU stands shoulder to shoulder with NUM in defence of workers, jobs, and the economy. We call on all our Affiliates, progressive formations, and the broader working class to unite and support this important march. This is not just a NUM struggle—it is a struggle for the future of South Africa’s economy and the protection of its people.

Let us rise in unity to defend our public institutions, protect jobs, and reject policies that deepen inequality and economic exclusion.

Issued by COSATU Mpumalanga Provincial Office

Thabo Mokoena (Provincial Secretary)

073 750 2041