South Africa: Load-shedding returns

A wage dispute between national utility Eskom and employee unions has seen load-shedding return over the past month. Eskom is struggling to regain control of its finances and its workforce, which has increased from 32,000 in 2003 to 47,600 in 2017 according to its annual reports, is an obvious place to start. Wages have also increased significantly over the period. Eskom chairman Jabu Mabuza said in late June that starting negotiations by offering no wage increase was a tactical mistake.