And how arrogant is Eskom’s
refusal to meet their demands.
Without mentioning the extravagant salaries
and bonuses of Eskom’s top executives, lets put things
into perspective here.
There has been, and there still is a lot
of noise being made about how the infrastructure put in
place for the world cup will benefit South Africans in general.
Eskom’s basic minimum wage of R76,
770.00 per annum is said to be well above the average.
That’s R6 397.50pm, or R210.00pd.
An increase of
8.5% gives the worker an extra R18.91pd.
We all know what a R1000pm housing subsidy means.
It’s almost enough to pay off a R100k bond in
less than thirty years.
And that will probably buy you a box that leaks.
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Now lets take a look at one of the most
practical infrastructure benefits of the world cup.
Suppose you stay in Marlboro
and park your car at that station and travel with the Gautrain
from Marlboro to Rhodesfield at R24.50 for the ride or R49
return, presuming you also take the bus to reach your destination.
Additionally you pay R9.50 for the parking bay for the day.
That means you’ll have to fork out at least R58.50
on travelling costs daily.
The perspective?
Eskom’s refusal to give in to the
union’s demand confirms to me that the average South
African is not who we are talking about when we say South
Africans.
When we say South Africans we actually mean
the 15% in the middle and upper income brackets.
What the hell do the other 85% need infrastructure
that is beyond their means for anyway?
Why the hell should average workers care
about the world cup anyway?
That’s my perspective.
