One glimmer of hope in this silly electioneering season is the renewed interest in our constitutionally entrenched right to a safe environment.

One glimmer of hope in this silly electioneering season is the renewed interest in our constitutionally entrenched right to a safe environment.

Though the ANC has not formally changed its madcap policy of developing nuclear power stations at whatever cost, Zuma's allies are far more cautious than were Mbeki's true believers.

They espoused a policy of development at any cost and brooked no interference from those wanting to exercise a democratic right to debate these issues.

The National Union of Mineworkers and other Cosatu-aligned unions have called for a more cautious approach and have condemned the financial black hole into which billions of taxpayers' money has been shovelled to develop our homegrown nuclear industry with no benefits evident so far.

Without much fanfare, Eskom has already cancelled or delayed plans for its new nuclear plants.

Cope and the ID have embraced renewable energy. The ID's manifesto released last weekend specifically calls for the financial taps to be closed for the money-guzzling nuclear industry.

Nuclear might yet prove to be the only alternative to our power problems, but we should not place the welfare of future generations at risk without carefully examining the options.