Leaders from a wide cross section of the faith community are seeking an urgent meeting with Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe and have endorsed the call by Minister in the Presidency responsible for the National Planning Commission Trevor Manuel for a national Energy Indaba.
This follows a report in the Engineering News of February 22, which stated that Department of Energy director-general Nelisiwe Magubane had said South Africa was likely to reach a “point of no return” by June this year with regard to its proposed new nuclear energy build programme.
In his State of the Nation address, President Jacob Zuma endorsed the National Development Plan, which has questioned the advisability of nuclear power. Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said in his Budget speech that South Africa must “adapt to a low-carbon economy, including the mobilisation of our renewable-energy potential”. It is unclear whether the Minister views nuclear energy as ‘low carbon’. Nevertheless, statements of commitment to nuclear energy have been made.
Faith leaders are extremely alarmed at such statements, given the rising evidence regarding the consequences for society, the economy, job creation and the environment.
The Western Cape Religious Leaders Forum, the KwaZulu-Natal Inter-Religious Council, the South African Catholic Bishops Conference’s Justice and Peace Commission and the Southern African Faith Communities Environment Institute all wrote to Zuma last year, but have received no response. A small group met with Energy Minister Dipuo Peters in July 2012 to express their concern. She confirmed that she believed in an “energy mix”, stating that she was “energy neutral”. The delegation stated that one cannot be neutral when it comes to nuclear energy.
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It is also a myth that nuclear energy will assist in reducing South Africa’s carbon footprint. The costs of mining uranium ore are increasing with the diminishing availability of high-grade uranium, as are the costs of transport and construction. All these processes are highly carbon intensive. What is more, with the long build times, nuclear power will come on line too late to address the urgent need to reduce our carbon emissions.
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Bishop Davies is executive director of the Southern Africa Faith Communities’ Environment Institute – geoff-davies@safcei.org.za
Read more at Nuclear power should be shunned on economic, enviro and ethical grounds
