South Africa’s power firm to cut 7,000 jobs

South Africa’s state-run power utility Eskom expects to have 7,000 less staff from now, a senior manager at the utility said on Thursday.

Marion Hughes, who made this known in Johannesburg, said the job cut would be done in the next five years.

Eskom employs 47,000 people and has powerful labour unions, some allied with the ruling ANC and others more militant.

The unions have said they would resist attempts to cut the workforce and fight moves to privatise the company, which is struggling to emerge from a financial crisis.