It appears that a nuclear noose is being looped around the necks of all South Africans — businesses, municipalities and consumers. The sinister fog around the procurement process leads us to believe that the purpose of the nuclear programme is not to advance a secure, sustainable and affordable energy solution that improves the lives of all South Africans, but rather to fill the pockets of the very few: the politically connected and their network of patronage. Since the energy minister’s nuclear procurement determination in December 2015, Eskom and the minister have been insisting that SA both needs and can afford nuclear energy. This is inconsistent with the minister’s own findings in 2013 that SA should avoid as long as possible large-scale, long-term investments in nuclear, and instead look to better options including coal and gas, and hydro, small-scale solar photovoltaic and other renewable energy sources. The promoters of nuclear power ignore overwhelming expert opinion that s...
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