Medupi burns as parliament plans to visit site

Violent strike action greeted Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises in Lephalale on Wednesday ahead of their site visit to the Medupi Power Station. The committee was being briefed by Eskom at the nearby Matimba Power Station when protesters gathered at the Medupi site. The protest soon turned violent as strikers hurled stones at security guards.
According to a spokesperson for Vetus Schola, 16 of their security guards were injured with four sustaining serious injuries. The site was quickly evacuated and locked down. Reports later confirmed that five vehicles were set alight and property damaged. 
According to provincial spokesperson for the police, Col Ronel Otto, 45 people were detained on Wednesday and taken in for questioning. She also confirmed that two non-striking employees were assaulted by strikers. The two were taken to the Ellisras Hospital by ambulance.
The aim of the portfolio committee’s visit was to investigate the recent extension of the deadline in the roll-out of the first phase of the project from the end of this year to mid-2014. Natasha Michael, DA Spokesperson on Public Enterprises and member of the portfolio committee told Northern News on Wednesday that the committee would still visit the site on Thursday morning.
Northern News will report on the committee’s findings when the paper hits the streets, next Friday.