Central SA
Nersa, Eskom accused of funding ‘energy mafia'─── BAMBATHA GIKO 14:56 Fri, 20 Jan 2023
Azapo accuses Nersa and Eskom of funding "energy mafias", as the party says the energy regulator failed to have public participation before approving the 18.65% energy tariff hike.
Azapo’s publicity and information secretary, Gaontebale Nodoba, says Nersa failed to adhere to Section 3 of the National Regulator Act of 2004, which mandates the regulator to have extensive consultations with the public.
Nodoba says the national regulator's "reluctance to engage in meaningful community discussion is another effort to thicken the pockets of the ruling party and further sabotage Eskom.
He questions why South Africans should suffer from load-shedding while other countries – that Eskom supplies energy to - do not suffer from the same energy crisis.
"They are having load-shedding here because they want to collapse Eskom, so that they can say Eskom cannot work as a unit. Then will privatise it as they did with Telkom. The companies of Ramaphosa, the companies of his brothers-in-law, Patrice Motsepe and Jeff Radebe, and Gwede Mantashe, and all of them are going to benefit. They speak about nuclear energy and green energy – the green contracts – because they have a stake in it.
"We have leaders who are selfish, leaders who don’t seem to have the nation’s interest at heart. People who are all out to milk the state."
Meanwhile, The Geen Connection and the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (Safcei) have launched a court application to review the president’s alleged failure to bring Section 6 of the National Energy Act, 2008 (NEA) into operation. In order to make informed decisions about energy, the Integrated Energy Plan (IEP) developed under Section 6 of the Act, integrates economic, environmental, political, and social interests.
Advocacy officer at The Green Connection, Kholwani Simelane, says the energy crisis has been ongoing and people are making plans without considering this piece of law. "The reason why this piece of law ties up everything or is the root of all the problems that are existing currently, is because it was neglected.
"I use the word neglected with caution because we all know that some people's interests are vested within government, which then makes them incapable to act accordingly towards serving the people or the interests of the individuals within this country."
