Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, says South Africa will seek to build a nuclear plant for electricity generation at \u201ca scale and speed that we can afford\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Minister was speaking to the media on the sidelines of the Cabinet Lekgotla held in Tshwane at the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President Cyril Ramaphosa led the first Lekgotla of the Government of National Unity (GNU), which set out the programme of action the government would undertake during the seventh administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn the long term, we need to ensure that we anchor the baseload and nuclear is an important part of that intervention. We are working on the framework for procurement because we don\u2019t want to discredit the process through a procurement process that is not transparent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe will do it at the scale and speed that we can afford as a country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Turning to issues of electricity affordability, the Minister expressed concern that poorer communities are struggling to keep up with increasing costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe poor and those that are located in the townships are finding it exceptionally difficult to afford the increases in electricity. The pricing and the tariff are prohibitive, and a lot of our people across the length and breadth of the country are not in a position to afford electricity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThose are challenges on the distribution side\u2026and we know that over a period of time, municipalities have underinvested in the maintenance, replenishment and protection of the distribution grid, and of course, we are paying the price now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also speaking to media at the lekgotla, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Parks Tau assured South Africans that affirmative action policies like Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment will not be scrapped during the seventh administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThese are foundational principles to the establishment of the Government of National Unity. Included in there are priorities in relation to social justice, equity and redress. Therefore, these are parties that have come together on the basis of collectively addressing transformation because we have committed to redress in the foundational principles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe question is, what do we do going forward? Of course, we need to look at the next wave of [BBBEE]\u2026where there are lessons to be learnt, we take those lessons into account and where there are greater opportunities to be introduced, we need to be able to introduce those.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have placed this firmly on the agenda of the programmes that would be driven by this administration, and that is why we always say we are focussing on industrialisation, but we are equally focussing on transformation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Minister emphasised that the economic growth and development of South Africa is a key priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A key priority for the seventh administration will be to \u201cleverage off the back of Operation Vulindela as a key programme\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis would be a focus on network industries amongst others\u2026looking at energy, looking at logistics in particular, the digital economy and other areas. The fact that we\u2019ve made significant progress in that regard enables us to use that as a springboard to grow the economy focussed on industrialisation and re-industrialisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut also, a deliberate and conscious focus on transformation because, of course, this will enable us to broaden the base of entrepreneurs in the country [and] to broaden the base of participants in the economy of this country and enable us to grow the jobs that this country so much needs,\u201d Tau said.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n