The South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) has called off a strike planned at Johannesburg electricity supplier City Power on Monday which threatened to plunge the country’s economic hub into darkness.

City Power confirmed on Sunday that its chairperson had held talks with SAMWU that had resulted in an agreement that would give SAMWU the opportunity over the next two weeks to “engage in a process of providing further particulars of their various complaints against the MD of City Power Mr Sicelo Xulu”.

This was to enable assessment of the merits of the union’s complaints and to determine what further action‚ if any‚ was required in relation to the complaints‚ City Power spokesperson Yumna Sheik said.

The strike action which was contemplated by SAMWU for Monday would therefore not proceed and City Power had suspended its interdictory court action against the strike‚ Sheik said.

But Sheik added: “City Power notes that despite the fact that the complaints as listed by SAMWU do not include any specific allegations of corruption or corrupt conduct on the part of the MD of City Power reference to allegations of corruption against Mr Xulu still appear in the press. City Power is concerned that allegations of corruption against its MD are therefore being made in the public domain without any factual foundation and notes that such allegations appear malicious and are defamatory in nature.

“City Power calls on all parties and particularly parties to the agreed process‚ to refrain from making irresponsible and potentially defamatory statements.”