Two Medupi workers shot and wounded

Spokeswoman Colonel Ronel Otto said cases of attempted murder were opened after the shooting at the Marapong township just after 5am on Thursday.

“A group of workers was waiting for transport to Medupi when shots were fired from behind them,” Otto said.

“One person was shot in the stomach and another was slightly injured on his ear. The suspect fled on foot and he is currently still unknown.”

Otto said no arrests have been made and the motive was unknown.

Eskom said the two men were contractors at the power station.

On May 19, striking workers at Medupi returned to work after a two month long strike. About 5,000 workers at the Medupi power station, who has been marred by construction delays due to labour unrest, embarked on a strike. Workers were refusing to return to work until they were paid a R10,000 bonus.The workers defied a court order, obtained by Eskom contractors in April to force them to return to work.

Medupi would consist of six units of approximately 794 MW each, with a total output of 4 764 MW.

 

This is approximately 12 percent of Eskom’s total installed capacity. 

 

The power station will also become the world’s fourth largest coal-fired power plant, and the largest dry-cooled power station, the embattled power utility said.

 

ANA