Kusile residents march for power plant jobs

Construction at Eskoms Kusile power station is in progress. Picture: Youtube

Construction at Eskoms Kusile power station is in progress. Picture: Youtube

Published Jul 25, 2016

Share

Johannesburg - About 100 people from the Kusile area protested on Monday morning, demanding jobs at the Kusile Power Station in Mpumalanga.

The N4 was blocked as were parts of the N12 as marchers called for employment.

Traffic was backed up and motorists travelling between Emalahleni and Gauteng were encouraged to take alternative routes as the protest became violent, with protesters allegedly throwing rocks at passing vehicles.

Eskom spokesman Khulu Phasiwe said: “They want to be hired, but we can’t hire everyone.

“The power station is still being built and the contractors building it have already got the numbers they need,” he said.

Phasiwe said unemployment was a general problem. People wanted to be employed “and rightfully so, but again we can’t hire everyone”.

Once Kusile Power Station was up and running, Phasiwe said, they would hire general workers to deal with things like cleaning.

“But what we really need is people with engineering degrees or technical skills.

“At the end of the day, Eskom is an engineering company and we can’t just hire hundreds and hundreds of people,” he said.

Mpumalanga police spokesman Brigadier Selvy Mohlala cautioned motorists in the area to stay alert and careful as the situation remained volatile.

@lanc_02

Related Topics: