Bomb threats and gunshots this week at two of Eskom\u2019s plants under construction were termed \u201ctreasonous\u201d and \u201ccriminality at the highest order\u201d by acting Eskom CEO Brian Molefe on Friday.<\/p>\n
Addressing the standing committee on appropriations in Parliament, Molefe said a bomb threat at Kusile on Sunday meant the construction work had to be halted, while the claim was investigated.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have planted bombs at Kusile and they will go off today,\u201d Molefe quoted the SMS message Eskom received.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bomb squad came and then declared the place safe,\u201d he said. \u201cIntelligence sources are now trying to locate the source.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose few hours looking for a non-existent bomb from an SMS were costly and add to the delays in our build programme,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Added to that were the shots fired in Lephalale on Thursday as workers were travelling to work at Medupi.<\/p>\n
\u201cA white VW golf stopped and [people from the car] opened fire with light machine guns on a group of people waiting for transport,\u201d he said. \u201cNo one died and the report I got was that two people were injured. Police are attending to the matter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWork had to stop because people are traumatised from the shooting [and bomb scare],\u201d he said. \u201cIt is treasonous, and criminality at the highest order.\u201d<\/p>\n
Construction workers striking illegally have been intimidating workers from going to work, Molefe told reporters on Friday, adding that only the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) seems to be supporting it. \u201cNumsa opposed the court order that ordered workers back to work,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe labour relations legislation is quite clear and very generous about when you can declare a strike,\u201d Molefe told the committee. \u201cWe think the strike is treasonous, especially when they call a strike when we are dealing with load shedding.\u201d<\/p>\n
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