COSATU Response to the State of the Nation Address by President Cyril Ramaphosa 2023
10 February 2023
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) notes the State of the Nation Address by President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered in Parliament today. The Federation notes the various commitments made to reduce and end loadshedding, including the declaration of a State of Disaster. The economy cannot grow and jobs will not be created if load shedding is not eliminated. We expect to see real progress in the next 6 months, we do not have the luxury of twenty four (24) months.
The State of Disaster should be utilised to provide the power utility with all the necessary support. The February Budget Speech needs to finalise the details of reducing the Eskom debt by fifty (50) percent and also empower the government to deal with the coal cartels that are hobbling the power utility with their corrupt tendencies. Law enforcement agencies need to also tackle the cable theft mafia that is destroying the nation’s infrastructure.
The Federation welcomes the inclusion of social partners in the government’s efforts to tackle the energy crisis and shifting the Bounce Back Scheme to support the rolling out of solar panels. Everything is dependent on the success of the plan to fix load shedding because with no electricity, there is no economy and with no economy there will be no jobs and public services.
We expect the same commitments when it comes to the protection and rebuilding of our passenger and freight railway network that is being decimated by rampant cable theft, vandalism and arson. A functioning rail network is key to growing the mining, manufacturing and agricultural sectors and to ensuring workers in our cities can get to work on time.