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The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in Mpumalanga will join the Young Communist League of South Africa's protest action against the closure of Komati coal power station.

The event will take place at 10h00 on 08 September 2023.  The march will gather at Msumba's Church and to then proceed to Komati coal power station.

The Federation pledges its unqualified support to the march for the following reasons:

-Closing Komati coal power station has put more strain to an already distressed power grid struggling with a shortage of generation capacity.

-The closure of the coal power station has increased levels of unemployment, poverty for Komati power station's downstream workers and surrounding communities.

-The intended decommissioning of other power stations, including Camden, Kriel, Hendrina and Grootvlei will further reduce Eskom's generation capacity, our energy supply and add more strain to the energy grid and further exacerbate our energy crisis as well as unemployment, poverty and inequality. 

-Eskom is rushing closing aging power stations whilst it has not yet brought onstream new power stations to fill their place.

-Government, Eskom and business need to put in place the foundations for a Just Energy Transition to address workers and communities' fears of job losses, e.g. building renewable energy technology factories in the affected communities before the closure of any aging power stations to ensure a smooth and just transition.

COSATU urges workers and communities to join this march in defence of jobs, Eskom and a Just Energy Transition.

Issued by COSATU Mpumalanga