SOUTH AFRICA: Public utility company ordered to lay off 1,081 white engineers and 2,179 “technically skilled” employees. “A top Eskom manager who told Rapport two years ago Eskom was transforming too rapidly, said Saturday, ‘It will be catastrophic if our affirmative action targets now lead to the estrangement of people whose skills we need.'”

Related: South Africa’s Eskom suspends bosses over power shortages.

Eskom, which provides almost all of the electricity in Africa’s most developed economy, has also come under fire in recent months over a seeming lack of maintenance at the country’s power plants.

Economists warn that if the energy problems are not resolved, it could further stunt the country’s growth prospects.