Nukes a quick fix

Our energy crisis has become like watching a boat sinking gradually with people on board refusing to offload passengers because it will be expensive.

Eskom has run out of ideas.

The only medicine they have for us is load-shedding and government bailouts.

Worst of all is that even President Cyril Ramaphosa is caught off guard by the severe and unpredictable load-shedding.

That can only mean one thing: his plans for a turnaround of the national economy are not in touch with the reality at Eskom.

The question we now face is no longer whether to wait until we can afford nuclear energy, but whether we can afford not to implement nuclear energy right now.

The economy is losing production because investors cannot operate without power. Investment will be gravely affected and along with that employment.

We are already spending billions on bailouts without a ripple showing on resolving the crisis.

We have so many ideas and plans but none of them come with a guarantee to increase energy capacity except one: nuclear energy.

We have no illusions about the initial cost of nuclear power stations.

However, SA has leverage with two nuclear power houses – Russia and China. Both countries have major interest in investing in a growing African market, and with the new tarifffree Africa coming into play, SA as an entry point to the rest of Africa has been recognised.

Neither these two superpowers nor India want one of their key Brics members to fail.

It is time for us to use our leverage to negotiate for the best long-term financial package we can get out of the two friendly superpowers for nuclear power.

Powering SA is powering Africa’s economic growth and industrialisation, where Russian and Chinese investment will reap economic returns.

A failing SA is a threat to both countries’ long-term economic interests in Africa. African economic integration means they can no longer isolate economic events in Zimbabwe from economic developments in SA.

Our current plans all keep failing. It’s time to try something new.

A nuclear power station does not mean we abandon pursuit of other sources like wind, solar and gas.

It’s just the shortest route right now to secure reliable energy to support economic growth and create jobs. It is an investment item with economic returns rather than a debt.

— Wongaletu Vanda, via e-mail