Managers at various Eskom power stations have been granted permission to award performance bonuses to their staff following a successful load shedding-free festive season. The announcement comes after Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa pledged generous Christmas bonuses to Eskom employees if they managed to maintain a stable power supply throughout the holiday period. Ramokgopa, addressing the media on Tuesday, expressed satisfaction with the performance of Eskom workers during the festive season, attributing the minimal load shedding to planned maintenance rather than any supply failures on Eskom’s part.
Ramokgopa revealed that in December 2022, Eskom had experienced Stage 5 and Stage 6 load shedding. However, during a significant number of days in that period, there were no instances of load shedding. It’s worth noting that this comparison does not directly reflect the performance of Eskom staff, as three units at the Kusile Power Station were out of service in December 2022. These units, responsible for generating 800 MW each, accounted for 2.5 stages of load shedding. Fortunately, they were restored to service during the 2023 festive season.
Despite this success, load shedding resurfaced on January 2, 2024, and Stage 2 load shedding was implemented on Tuesday evening. Eskom CEO Bheki Nxumalo confirmed that performance reports were currently being reconciled, and the bonuses would be disbursed at the end of January.
This windfall comes just months after Eskom employees secured a 7% wage increase in June 2023. This salary hike was granted despite Eskom reporting its largest-ever loss of R24 billion.
The promise of bonuses was initially made by Ramokgopa during a visit to Mpumalanga’s Arnot Power Station, where the company was operating at just 48% capacity. He encouraged the staff to continue their commendable work, assuring them that their hard work would be rewarded.
Once you give us the kind of progress and energy improvement that we want, you will see that your families will be happy, and you are going to enjoy a better Christmas, Ramokgopa declared.
In conclusion, Eskom managers have received the go-ahead to distribute performance bonuses to their staff following a successful festive season with minimal load shedding. Despite challenges such as out-of-service units and the recent return of load shedding, the hard work of Eskom employees has been acknowledged through various incentives, including the recent 7% wage increase. The power utility aims to motivate its workforce by recognizing their efforts and ensuring a stable power supply for the country.
