Koeberg’s glowing review in KPMG study
AS part of commemorating Human Rights Month, the disabled in the province will receive special attention.
The Department of Human Settlements and South African Human Rights Commission(SAHRC), said they would ensure the access of rights for the disabled.
In a media briefing yesterday, MEC for Human Settlements Bonginkosi Madikizela, Social Development MEC Albert Fritz, SAHRC Commissioner Chris Nissan, and Western Cape chairperson Bongani Majola, said they would commit to plans for the vulnerable to enjoy access to human dignity and special needs.
“Elderly and people with disabilities must be prioritised by the government. It is high time we formalise a working relationship and structure a plan we must follow to assist people with disabilities,” said Madikizela.
He said the department had allocated houses to people with disabilities across the province, and believed the partnership would play a crucial role in informing building plans to assist the needy.
Fritz said his department was committed to working with counterparts at the Human Settlements Department and at the SAHRC. “Key to this will be our role in consulting all 245 funded non-profit organisations (NPO) working with people with disabilities, on issues of housing for the disabled community.
“In this regard, and as part of our broader NPO consultations, DSD has already set aside R3 million for the 2017/18 financial year for a comprehensive sectoral engagement process with all of our funded NPO partners,” he said.
Majola congratulated the efforts made by the departments to retain people’s dignity.
“We are dealing with many cases where people are living in unacceptable conditions in the society… This is a great example that should be adopted by other provinces,” he said. – KPMG revealed the results of a study looking into the socio-economic impact of the Koeberg nuclear power station in the Western Cape and South Africa at large from 2012 to 2025.
Koeberg is Africa’s only nuclear power station and has an installed capacity of 1 860 megawatts, which provides 50% of the Western Cape’s and approximately 5.6% of South Africa’s energy needs while adding diversification to the energy mix.
KPMG’s director and economist, Lullu Krugel, said electricity was a key input for the majority of products and processes in the economy, making Koeberg a direct contributor to economic growth.
“For example, over the period 2012/13 to 2015/16, Koeberg supported and stimulated economic activity in South Africa of an estimated R53.3 billion,” Krugel said.
“The methodology KPMG employed to conduct this review, is based on internationally accepted standards, information supplied by Eskom and official statistics.”
Eskom interim group chief executive Matshela Koko, said the parastatal had needed a substantiated independent view on the added benefit of Koeberg’s investment spending and daily operations.
Minister of Public Enterprises Lynne Brown congratulated Koeberg and said Eskom had done the country a favour by placing credible information on the table as the nation embarks on a critical journey from a predominantly coal-powered economy to an energy mix that would include coal, renewable, gas and nuclear power.
“It is important we understand the impact all power stations have on our economy and our lives. They generate jobs, and work for the construction industry, maintenance teams, and producers of a multitude of goods and services. They stimulate – and sometimes carry single-handedly – economies and communities.” – ANA