The Justice and Peace Commission of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference has called on the government to suspend its nuclear procurement plans until the country has held a referendum on the matter.
Plans to go ahead with nuclear procurement were announced by the Department of Energy last week, following a cabinet decision on the matter.
According to the commission, the economic risks and safety risks of the nuclear option outweigh its economic benefits.
The government should concentrate its efforts and fiscal resources on renewable energy
The economic risks include unaffordability of the procurement, says the commission.
“The Department of Energy and the Treasury have not yet produced evidence to show that the nuclear procurement is affordable to the country and consumers.”
The commission said other than affordability risks, the safety risks and the threat to human life were high.
“Although the probability of a nuclear accident is relatively low, the consequences of such an accident cause health hazards for thousands of people and render hundreds of kilometres of land uninhabitable and unsuitable for any use for decades. The dangers of nuclear energy to human life will always remain very high,” said Bishop Abel Gabuza, chairman of the Justice and Peace Commission. After the Fukushima disaster in 2011, several countries, including Germany, Switzerland and Spain, had decided to phase out their programmes on nuclear energy.
The commission appealed to the government to urgently call for a nuclear referendum.
“Given the enormity of the risks that the South African government is asking its citizens to bear through the nuclear option, including the enormous safety risks and economic risks, it is only fair that the government directly consults its people on the matter,” Gabuza said.
In June 2011, the Italian government conducted a similar referendum to poll its citizens on its plans to generate 25% of the country’s electricity from nuclear power by 2030. The referendum rejected the Italian government’s plans for nuclear procurement.
”Our government should not be afraid to emulate the Italian example and open up the matter to a national referendum before the formal bidding process commences,” Gabuza said.
The Mercury