No-nuke plan ideal

THE Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (Safcei) welcomes the news from Minister Radebe that the new proposed electricity plan, the Integrated Resource Plan, contains no signs of new nuclear generation.

After a long campaign – which included the landmark court victory in April 2017 against the illegal and unconstitutional nuclear energy deal, and further civil society protests against the actions of energy ministers under President Zuma – Safcei and Earthlife Africa-Johannesburg, which led the legal charge with support from many other organisations and communities, have all been vindicated.

Liz McDaid, Safcei’s Eco-Justice lead campaigner says, “Science has told us that nuclear energy is not needed for South Africa’s energy mix, but the Zuma regime seemed deaf to any argument but the nuclear lobby. Over R200 million was spent on nuclear ‘studies’ and ‘preparation’ work – mostly going to friends of Zuma.

“We are pleased that this gross negligence is at an end, but we still need accountability and redress. Safcei wants to know what happened, and what steps will be taken against those within government who conspired to try to force us down the nuclear path for corrupt ends.”

Safcei calls for justice in the energy sector. Some people profited from State money that was diverted from interventions that aim to help the poor and vulnerable, such as solar water heaters, into the nuclear deal.

“Jobs and economic development that would have blossomed under a plan that gave fair weight to renewable energy were compromised and sabotaged by the previous government’s nuclear bias. We need accountability,” adds McDaid.

Francesca de Gasparis of Safcei says, “The proposed IRP appears to have taken on many of the issues that we were concerned about in previous rounds.”