SA experienced load shedding for the first time in October 2007 due to an accident at Koeberg nuclear energy plant. Eskom has been battling with maintenance, not supply, related to energy supply since 2008.

The South African government has been facing green revolution pressure to transition the energy supply from fossil fuel. The two institutions have unwittingly overlapped their scopes to solve both challenges.

Eskom should focus on energy supply, maintenance and procurement, while the government provides policy on sources of energy. Jacob Zuma’s trillion-rand nuclear plan was dismissed as expensive or detrimental to environment for AfriForum to revisit nuclear energy supply as a private sector.

I doubt the environment or cost argument will be raised with AfriForum. In SA we sometimes make noise on behalf of other interests to the detriment of our own industrialisation.

Mandla Tatana, Midrand