ANC National Chairperson and Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe is heavily criticised in the Daily Maverick today, where Alex Lenferna is suggesting that Mantashe is the biggest obstacle to the social and ecological energy and mining future that South Africans are asking for.
Lenferna comments on Mantashes claim that “there is a ‘foreign-funded’ campaign intent on destabilising his department’s work and souring his relationship with President Cyril Ramaphosa”, arguing that the criticism towards Mantashe has nothing to do with that. It has to do with the fact people are demanding a “transition to renewable energy that leaves no one behind”.
The people of South Africa are fed up with “Mantashe greenlighting polluting and harmful projects without their consent”, they are fed up with his “scandal-ridden plans for polluting powerships, which could devastate local fishing grounds and cost South Africa hundreds of billions of rands” and they are fed up with “being plunged into darkness through load shedding”, the author asserts.
He finishes by commenting on the conspiracies he means that Manstashe is spreading. “Authoritarians everywhere love to demonise the media and civil society to deflect from the legitimate criticism they face.”
In a separate piece on EWN, Neil Overy questions the timing of Mantashe’s suspension of Peter Becker, the community representative on the board of the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR), on the very same day that the NNR approved the replacement of steam generators at Unit 2 of Koeberg as part of a planned 20-year life extension of the ageing nuclear power plant. “It is a remarkable coincidence because it just so happens that Becker, who is also a spokesperson of the Koeberg Alert Alliance, has been a vocal opponent of the life extension of the plant.”
Here’s a roundup of interesting opinions, analyses, and editorials:
Nersa’s totally foreseeable unforeseeable consequences of electricity price hikes – Daily Maverick
Mpumelelo Mkhabela | Ramaphosa’s leaked audio: We shouldn’t be shocked. Party unity comes first – News24 (for subscribers)
Public figures like Sisulu have little regard for their brand value – BusinessLive
More brain, less bile is needed in our political debate – Sunday Times (for subscribers)
EDITORIAL: BIG debate is welcome, but can we spark growth too? – BusinessLive
