South Africa’s fork in the road — does it take the path of nuclear power, or people’s power?

South Africa finds itself at a tipping point as it relates to energy governance and our nuclear energy future. It has been four years since President Cyril Ramaphosa made a promise to “make sure no African child is left behind in the transition to a low-carbon, climate resilient and sustainable society”. In this time much has happened behind closed doors, without community engagement that is, but very little has actually changed on the ground for communities.

This is resulting in the opposite of Ramaphosa’s words becoming the reality in various sectors of society, and particularly in the energy sector.

Load-shedding continues to threaten South Africans, as we uncomfortably await its return after the recent short sabbatical that we know is sure to come to an end. Gas and oil projects are setting South Africa, her people, and her oceans up for health issues, oceans devoid of life and empty promises of economic growth from fossil fuels which will increase the climate crisis. The continued burden and horrors of coal, another fossil fuel, on frontline communities and associated air pollution, the worst globally, puts the President’s promise in deep jeopardy. The poisoned cherry on top of this toxic cake is the deepened legacy of radioactive nuclear waste from nuclear power stations.

With an energy fruit cocktail that aims to set our country up for the runs rather than sustain us in the long run, it begs the question: Are people truly at the centre of our decision making or are the needs of energy profiteers being prioritised?

We can begin to answer this question by analysing 3 main points, with nuclear power as the perfect case study to analyse these points.

1. Representation in Decision Making Spaces

We see in our day-to-day lives at work, school, and elsewhere, the importance of being properly represented in places of power. This was also seen 30 years ago when the interests of the majority of the country were finally put to the foreground, for the first time. This not only forced the then minority government to acknowledge the deep changes that needed to be made for the wellbeing of the majority, but also forced the actioning of changes that have - regardless of how much or little has happened - fundamentally changed the country for the better.

On 18 January 2022, the community representative elected to the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) board, Peter Becker, a well-known anti-nuclear activist, was suspended by Minister Gwede Mantashe only six months after his appointment. Becker took this decision by the then DMRE Minister on review by the Western Cape High Court and it was found that his dismissal was unlawful, unconstitutional and done in bad faith. Following this ruling, Mantashe appealed, thereby successfully preventing proper representation of civil society on the NNR board for the last two years. This left communities voiceless in an extremely crucial time where the application for the long term operation licence extension of the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station was hearing submissions from different sectors.

Unfortunately, by the time the Supreme Court of Appeal once again found Becker to be in the right,  his term on the NNR Board had come to an end.

Without proper representation, South Africans are set up for yet another decision that benefits the interest of the minority (in this case big industry and energy profiteers), leaving the majority (in this case communities - still predominantly Black and Brown) to face the fall out and the accompanying burdens.

2. Fully Informed and Meaningful Public Participation

The foundation of any decision that is made is information, and in order to exercise their right to a participative democracy, the public must have access to all the information on which any decision is to be based. Public participation, in a country as richly diverse as South Africa, must consider many different factors, with specific attention being afforded to people “confronted with poverty and lack of access to resources, including children, women, people with disabilities and the youth” .

South Africa is a Constitutional democracy that upholds a representative and participatory democracy. In a representative democracy, “the Members of Parliament (MPs) represent the views of the electorate whilst in a participatory democracy the public is actively involved in decision making processes such as law making and oversight.” Public participation should ensure that decision-making truly is the will of the people.

Unfortunately, we did not see public participation being upheld in the public hearings for the Long Term Operation licence for Koeberg nuclear power station that were held in the last few months by the NNR, nor currently by Minister Ramokgopa from the Department of Energy and Electricity who has previously emphasised the need for public participation in his recent decision to set aside the determination for the procurement of 2500 MW of new nuclear power.

If we are truly looking to reflect the will of the people in our decision making, then we should not have to undergo the lengthy Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) process to access basic safety information for the nuclear power station. We should also not be faced with the release of heavily redacted documents. We should also have clear communication from the Minister on the appeals process, deadline, and who to lodge appeals to, for the long term operation licence extension of Unit 1 of the Koeberg nuclear power plant.

3. The Burdens on Current and Future Generations

So where does that leave us, when the people are not represented in decision-making spaces, and they don’t have all the tools needed to engage in the already limiting public participatory platforms?

In the case with Nuclear Power, we see a few things that current and future generations are set to experience.

• An increase in the cost of electricity.
• An increase in health and safety issues.
• An increase in the legacy of nuclear waste - with low-level waste already being shipped to Vaalputs in the Northern Cape and high-level waste accumulating at Koeberg since 1984.

Given the above, it is evident that the people, our voices, and our experiences are not at the centre of decision-making processes in South Africa,  and that our leaders indulge the interests of energy profiteers, as this often benefits them as well.

However, this does not have to be the reality going forward. We find ourselves at a tipping point of change; a change that will reflect the will of the people and benefit current and future generations. We need our leaders to act now, because if they don’t, we will.

Klaasen, G., Petersen, L., and Nangle, M. “South Africa’s Fork in the Road — Does It Take the Path of Nuclear Power, or People’s Power?” Daily Maverick, 15 Sept. 2024, https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-09-15-energy-crisis-does-sa-take-path-of-nuclear-or-peoples-power/.

About the authors:

Gabriel Klaasen is the Communications Coordinator for Project 90 by 2030, and an Action and Advocacy Programmes Manager for African Climate Alliance. Lydia Petersen is a spokesperson for Koeberg Alert Alliance. Maia Nangle is a Campaigns Coordinator at Southern African Faith Communities' Environment Institute (SAFCEI).