The legal team representing the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) has notified City Power that its planned strike action will not commence on Monday October 19 as originally announced‚ reported BDLive.

“City Power wishes to reassure the residents of the city of Johannesburg of its ongoing commitment to provide a steady and uninterrupted electricity supply‚ regardless of whether the industrial action goes ahead or not‚” City Power said in a statement on Sunday.

City Power warned that “any threats against its network or acts of deliberate and illegal tampering with its property constitute a criminal offence that is liable for criminal prosecution. City Power perceives this threat by the trade union as criminal and not in the interest of the entire union membership”, adding that “City Power wishes to assure ratepayers that in the event of a strike it will put contingency plans in place to ensure that the lights stay on.

According to AllAfrica Samwu had told the City of Johannesburg’s power utility that it would go on a full-blown strike on October 19, resulting in “a total blackout of Johannesburg and all its suburbs”.

The union had said City Power failed to address issues relating to corruption levelled against its managing director, Sicelo Xulu, adding that board chairperson Frank Chikane specifically had “failed to act on corruption allegations, which are happening under his watch”.

In response City Power had issued a statement describing Samwu’s threats of a total blackout “constitute an act of sabotage against the City of Johannesburg and its residents”.

Samwu tweeted a clarification that “We will not be at work and as such blackout, how is that sabotage?”