Jan de Lange, News 24, March 8, 2015

Eskom has to reduce the number of white engineers by 1,081 and white artisans by 2,179 in order to comply with strict new government requirements, according to a report by specialist labour writer Jan de Lange in the Sunday newspaper Rapport.

The new directives require embattled Eskom, the best performing public enterprise in the affirmative action race, to ensure that these two key job categories become “completely reflective of the national and regional demographics” by 2020.

Some 6 530 people, of whom 30% or 1 786 are white, currently occupy “professional and mid-management” positions at Eskom.

These are mostly engineers.

1 081 white employees in these categories, where 70,6% of employees are currently black, need to be shed until 705 remain.

Of the 21 372 “technically skilled” employees at Eskom 4 487 or 21% are white. By 2020 some 2 179 will have to leave.

A top Eskom manager who told Rapport two years ago Eskom was transforming too rapidly, said Saturday, “It will be catastrophic if our affirmative action targets now lead to the estrangement of people whose skills we need.”