Nicola Muller

THE DAILY NEWS www.dailynews.co.za ACCURATE NEWS FOR ACCURATE READERS 14 May 2017 SOUTH AFRICA: CHERNOBYL MK2? File picture: Henk Kruger/ANA Pictures By Nicci Muller 2017/05/14 DURBAN – President Jacob Zuma and the Gupta family have been putting increasing pressure on the government of South Africa to sign off on the R1 trillion nuclear power deal with Russia’s state-owned nuclear company, Rosatom. According to senior National Treasury officials, Rosatom seems to have been a leader of the nuclear power deal and “directly linked” to Zuma dismissing Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan and Deputy Finance Minister, Mcebisi Jonas. It is popular knowledge that Gordhan was against the nuclear power deal, as he stated that South Africa did not have the sufficient funding for such a project. ANC member, Sibusisiwe Mngadi alleged that President Zuma’s nephew, Khulubuse Zuma, who is a part of the SA holding company for nuclear plants, is said to make over R50 billion in the next 20 years if the nuclear deal is implemented. Former ANC MP, Vytjie Mentor, supported Mngadi’s allegations, adding that if the new Finance Minister, Malusi Gigaba signs the nuclear deal, the South African economy would 1 have to pay R6 trillion in over-runs and maintenance. She also alleged that all South Africans would become slaves to Russia for the next 100 years. Meanwhile, Eskom has taken over from the Department of Energy as owner and operator of proposing the nuclear building program. They have since delivered a Request for Information (RFI) for the procurement of nuclear energy. Eskom’s Request for Proposal (RFP) is presumed to be issued into the market place in June of 2017. By 2018 Eskom and Nuclear Energy Corporation SA (NECSA) will select their bidders, negotiate and finalise a contract, “Gordhan had to go, because he was going to block the deal again.” A senior official of the National Treasury said. According to City Press, Eskom and NECSA’s timeline is as follows: RFP in June 2017 The deadline for bids in September 2017 of bids in December- The evaluation The announcement of the winning bidder in March The signing of the nuclear building contract will take place between December 2018 and March 2019. The University of Cape Town’s Energy Research Centre has concluded that South Africa does not need to consider nuclear power for at least another 20 years and that the nuclear deal could inflict a financial burden on the South African economy, especially since the economy has been rated at junk status. DA spokesperson, Natasha Mazzone stated, “If nuclear power is implemented, it could have a devastating effect on the South African economy, jobs will be lost and the cost of living will increase.” The Cape Town High Court ruled the nuclear plan invalid as the government had not followed the right procedure in decision making to pursue nuclear power as an option. This ruling put Zuma’s plan to finalize the nuclear build program before he leaves office in 2019 on hold. Could it be that President Zuma only wants to implement the nuclear plan in order to secure a hefty pension? The High Court ruled government’s actions as unconstitutional and found that five decisions it had made were illegal. Eskom’s RFI to prepare documents was found to be invalid. The High Court also ruled that if the nuclear deal is pursued again, it is to follow the correct legal channels, it will attract a lot of public interest and take up a lot 2 of time, which Zuma does not have; his successors are unlikely to pursue a nuclear deal with as much vigour as he is. Another viable option is that President Zuma could ignore the High Court’s ruling and continue to pursue the nuclear deal. ANC Secretary-General, Gwede Mantashe is completely in favour of the nuclear deal and says that the overall cost of nuclear energy versus how much is spent on the maintenance of coal powered stations makes nuclear energy a more viable option. “Nuclear, as part of the energy mix, is quite important for South Africa, for its technology, for its research and for future generations of this country.”- Gwede Mantashe, Secretary-General of the ANC. This poses a few questions. Could the implementation of nuclear power lead to a promising future for South Africa? Could it cause bankruptcy? Or could the implementation of nuclear energy in South Africa create another Chernobyl? All of these are now on the shoulders of South African dignitaries desperate for money. Help South Africa, bankrupt South Africa or eviscerate South Africa. 3 Ques%on 2: Magazine ar%cle NUKES: YES OR NO? Nicci Muller – The Economist In light of the hum of the recent nuclear power deal between South Africa and Russia, this reporter went to two contributors of the community to find out their stance on the nuclear power deal in South Africa. The first interviewee is Mrs Melanie Muller, English home and first additional language teacher at Richards Bay High School. The second interviewee is Mr Herman Muller, maths teacher and principal of Richards Bay High School. Both interviewees have very strong opinions on the nuclear deal in South Africa and have consented to be interviewed. Both have agreed to answer the same set of questions. Q: Why do you think the government deems it necessary to spend R1 trillion on a nuclear power plant, when there are cheaper, more eco-friendly alternatives, e.g. Wind turbines. MM: If we had an honest, fair and “corruption free” government ruled by a sincere, and well-educated president who had our country’s best interest at heart, I would accept the facts and trust their judgement, but, sadly, our government and president are none of the above! It is possible and very, very probable that the nuclear deal is a money-making scheme which ordinary South Africans are not going to benefit from. HM: It is definitely a political move with ulterior motives. Q: Why do you think Russia is so interested in South Africa all of a sudden? MM: South Africa has rich Uranium deposits and corrupt government officials, which is a very beneficial combination for a country like Russia who have their own nuclear “agenda”. HM: Russia sees South Africa as easily manipulated because of the corruption in our government. They want a foot-hold in South Africa. We will be in debt to them for many years. Q: Do you think President Zuma has ulterior motives for pushing for the nuclear power deal to be signed before his term ends in 2019? MM: Absolutely! It is safe to say that some pockets will be lined with this deal. A secure pension plan for our president is possible. 4 HM: Absolutely. Q: How do you think this nuclear power plant will affect the South African economy? MM: It will create thousands of jobs, but will have to be maintained to avoid any disasters. HM: It will create many jobs, but the taxpayer is going to suffer. Q: With the Russian state-owned company, Rosatom, investing in South Africa; do you think that their investing in RSA could lead to other international companies wanting to invest in the country? MM: Yes, but one will have to wonder at what price. South Africa has many natural resources that the international market craves. HM: No. Allies of Russia might invest, but there are few countries who are allied with Russia. Q: After the tsunami hit Fukushima in Japan in 2011, where one of their nuclear reactors were damaged, do you think the South African government will implement a contingency plan? MM: Yes. They will establish a task force to investigate, research and then discuss the disaster, after which they categorically state that the tsunami was racist. HM: No. South Africa is prone to blame other parties and no one will take responsibility for any disaster. Q: Do you think the nuclear power plant that will be built will create more jobs than will be lost after it has been built? MM: Absolutely. It is one of many positive outcomes. HM: No. Russia might bring their own workers. Q: Lastly, are you for or against the nuclear power deal of South Africa? Why? MM: I am against it. Nuclear power is extremely dangerous if not maintained properly. If one looks back to load-shedding one has but to wonder! HM: Against it. It is a very high-risk power supply with too few skilled workers. 5 Bibliography Ar)cle 1 journalist: Jenna Etheridge: http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/treasuryshoots-down-nuclear-deal-allegations- Ar)cle 2 journalist: Charles Cilliers: h