South African labour unions that oppose the government’s plans to split embattled State-owned power utility Eskom Holdings into three units will ultimately have to support the reforms, according to Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe. Eskom, which supplies about 95% of the nation’s electricity and is seen as the biggest threat to the economy, is reliant on government bailouts as it struggles under R440-billion of debt while reporting annual losses. Mantashe is one of the key officials charged with ensuring that there is a reliable power supply and Eskom becomes financially sustainable.
