Responding to the State of the Nation address delivered by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday night, Greenpeace Africa’s political adviser, Happy Khambule, has said: “While President Ramaphosa made a compelling attempt to start a new chapter in tonight’s Sona address, by failing to declare that nuclear will not go ahead, or to provide direction on the country’s energy pathway through the finalisation of the Integrated Resource Plan, he has created more uncertainty in energy policy.
"If the president is serious about job creation, he would ensure that the barriers to renewable energy are removed immediately, instead of declaring that the mining industry - which is in terminal decline - is a 'sunrise industry'.
"With Eskom on the brink of collapse, President Ramaphosa has made it clear that there is no time to waste and the funding models for state-owned enterprises must be reviewed.
"The electricity sector is indeed in dire need of certainty and accountability. South Africans deserve clarity on what will be done to ensure that rational, climate-friendly and low-cost energy decisions are taken. It is only the Integrated Resource Plan that can provide that much-needed certainty.
"Greenpeace calls for consistency, and for the president to ensure that a new Integrated Resource Plan - which takes climate change and the country’s strained water resources into account - is released as soon as possible.”
Mbong Akiy
Greenpeace Africa
head of communication