Around R300 million is spent annually on salaries for staff and maintenance at the Rooiwal and Pretoria West power stations, which have not been operational for more than a decade.
On Monday, Tshwane Mayor Cilliers Brink addressed the media on the City's plan to procure and generate at least 1 000 megawatts of power independent of the state-run power producer, Eskom.
As part of the plan, the City is looking at the possibility of a 40-year lease of the Rooiwal and Pretoria West power stations. Last week, the Tshwane Council approved a public participation report for the proposed lease of the power stations.Brink told the media that both the Rooiwal and Pretoria West power stations, which belong to the City, have not been in operation since 2012.
Despite the power stations not running, it still costs the City around R300 million per annum, which is spent on salaries of the staff employed at the power stations as well as maintenance and licensing.Some workers at the Rooiwal Power Station in Pretoria expressed frustration."We are spending the money, we are preserving the power stations, but what are we doing with them?" Brink asked.
"We have been doing nothing for 10 years. We want to leave here and work at other depots," one man said.Another man explained that despite not doing any work, they still had to clock in, and then hang around at the station before clocking off.Describing his workday, the man said:"For 12 years, [I have been] sitting, eating, sleeping and knocking off at 16:00."
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