ACTIVISTS MARCH AGAINST GOVT’S NUCLEAR PLANS

This article below was published by Eyewitness News: 

Anti-nuclear activists marched through the streets of Cape Town where they called on government to scrap its nuclear plans.

CAPE TOWN – Anti-nuclear activists marched through the streets of Cape Town where they called on government to scrap plans to go ahead with its nuclear build programme.

The demonstration was in support of Earthlife Africa and the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (Safcei) case heard in the Western Cape High Court on Wednesday.

The organisations have challenged Energy Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson’s decision to go the nuclear route.

Protesters said the proposed nuclear plans were unnecessary and a waste of money.

The Right2Know Campaign’s Vainola Makan said there was secrecy in government’s plan and it would take away from the poor.

“They want to take more than R1 trillion from the coffers and spend it on nuclear energy, which has not been identified as a priority by government’s own reports.”

Earthlife Africa and Safcei were expected to argue that government’s decision to go ahead with nuclear energy was done without proper public consultation which made it unlawful.

Meanwhile, the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, has joined the call for government to scrap its nuclear plan. Makgoba addressed the Synod of Bishops, saying that the church opposes the expansion of nuclear energy and has urged the government to pursue alternative renewable energy initiatives.

Pictures by Xolani Koyana/EWN.

(Edited by Shimoney Regter)