The glass is half-empty

crisis. That is the glass half-empty.

When I tweeted the announcement on Twitter I was greeted with howls of protest if not downright scorn by some of my followers. “Where is your scepticism? How much of this will go to the pockets of those who govern us? Not a single cent will go towards renewable energy. It will be looted, plundered!” Apart from the legitimate concerns about corruption in SA, the other worry is whether the country has been sold down the river.

There are still more coal fired power stations currently being built around the world than being shut down. The value of coal – black gold – is at record highs; a worldwide energy shortage is the main driver. Even though we are the 12th worst polluter in the world and the largest in Africa, we still contribute less than 1% of global emissions. So why are we being asked to climb off a runaway train many richer and more powerful nations that continue to do more damage are still riding? More importantly what happens to the workers, the industries and even towns built on coal mining in this country?

For 13 years, South Africans have lived with the spectre of load shedding – last year, during the pandemic, when much of our economy was shut down, was still the worst on record. Eskom did not maintain existing infrastructure, did not build new power plants and those we do have are now limping towards the end of their life cycles. We have heard the litany of explanations as often as the lights have gone out.

Eskom is in dire distress. It does not have the money to get us out of the mess it has created. It runs our transmission grid – there simply is no talk of electricity without the dark lords of Megawatt Park. Whether we build new stations or switch to renewables, the mountain to climb is steep and it may take years before we are energy secure.

The world’s rich nations want to be seen to be responsive to Mottley’s pleas. They face enormous pressure from their electorates. SA went to COP26 with a plan and has convinced international backers to bet on us. But there is likely to be enormous resistance unless President Ramaphosa and his advisers get the support of unions that still cling on for the easy gains of fossil fuels.

This won’t be a fight about science or economics, but for hearts and minds. News that the president’s brotherin-law, Patrice Motsepe’s, energy firm has won all the recently approved green power projects may muddy the waters even further.

Bingwa hosts the Breakfast show on 702 and is a Carte Blanche presenter