Letter to Minister Barbara Creecy
Why are you listening to these anti-nuclear activists?
My friend, Princess Mthombeni, the founder of Africa4Nuclear, recently addressed South Africa’s Minister of Forestry and Fisheries and Environmental Affairs, Barbara Creecy, in a letter concerning her close association with anti-nuclear “environmental” groups.
Minister Creecy denied Africa4Nuclear accreditation at the COP28 conference, arguing that civil society groups are not issued COP badges. While this is a reasonable point, it becomes evident that the Minister was hypocritical, as she granted exemption to South African anti-nuclear activists like SAFCEI (Southern African Faith Communities' Environment Institute) to attend the conference on behalf of the South African delegation!
I have previously highlighted the tactics employed by the anti-nuclear movement in South Africa, including them infiltrating the Presidency’s climate advisors with “anti-nuclear activists” and utilizing flawed data like the credit agency Lazard.
Princess’s letter raises a crucial question: why are these groups attempting to influence our national institutions and redirecting energy policy against the wishes of the wider public, while the views of those in favour of nuclear power are completely rejected out of hand?
It's time for South Africans to firmly reject these actions. Nobody elected "Earthlife Africa" and "SAFCEI" to speak on our behalf. They are not recognised as qualified voices within the nuclear industry.
The minister's email address and mailbox are provided below, and I encourage my subscribers to voice their concerns to her. This way, our elected officials can understand that they may face consequences in the next election if they persist with this unacceptable behavior.
While we are doing so, would you please also tell Kevin Mileham, the Democratic Alliance’s Shadow Minister of Energy to please change his luddite stance on nuclear power?
As South Africa approaches the next election, my subscribers might find it encouraging to know that the political parties such as ActionSA, the Economic Freedom Fighters, and the Freedom Front Plus already support nuclear power. I suggest reaching out to your ANC and DA representatives to simply make them "aware" of this fact.
Well done to Princess for standing up for Nuclear Power and sane energy policy.
To: Minister Barbara Creecy
Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment
Environment House
473 Steve Biko
Arcadia,
Pretoria
0083
Email: sanbro@gmail.com
CC: Honourable Minister Kgosientsho David Ramokgopa, Presidency Electricity
Honourable Mr Phillip Matsapole Pogiso Modise, Chairperson: Portfolio Committee on
Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment
Dear Honourable Minister
RE: Urgent Concerns Regarding COP28 Accreditation
Firstly, it is an absolute honour and privilege to introduce ourselves to the Minister in the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE). We are Africa4Nuclear, a pro-nuclear group of professionals and energy activists who advocate for nuclear power as one of the key contributors to achieving Africa’s agenda for sustainable development. Africa4Nuclear has South African roots but African perspective and global vision.
We are writing to express our deep concerns and dissatisfaction with the recent experience regarding the accreditation process for COP28 held from 30 November until 12 December 2023 at Expo City, Dubai. Despite our correspondence with your Department through the office of the Deputy Director General: Climate Change and Air Quality Management, we were denied accreditation based on the assertion that civil society groups are not issued COP badges, a policy seemingly contradicted by the presence of other civil society groups, including anti-nuclear activists such as SAFCEI (Southern African Faith Communities' Environment Institute), wearing government badges at COP28.
This inconsistency has raised questions about the fairness and transparency of the accreditation process. We therefore urge you to investigate this matter promptly to ensure that future processes are equitable for all stakeholders. While our own government refused to provide accreditation to its citizens, countries such as Kenya, Ghana, Sierra Leone, etc., demonstrated support by accrediting their own citizens who are also nuclear activists. It is genuinely disheartening that our own government is treating us as if we have no place, resembling the way street kids are often marginalized.
Furthermore, we would like to draw attention to the recent developments in South Africa's nuclear sector, notably the announcement by the Electricity Minister, Dr Kgosientsho Ramakgopa regarding the procurement of 2500MW of nuclear power. Nuclear is regarded as a clean energy source and this has been confirmed by the European Parliament, which has voted for the inclusion of nuclear in their Green Taxonomy after the successful hard work of nuclear activists at COP26 in Glasgow, 2021. Sadly, the two-week program for the South African Pavilion at COP28 did not include any discussions on nuclear energy, despite the pledge by 22 nations to triple the world's nuclear power generation by 2050.
The South African nuclear sector holds significant importance in the country’s economy, primarily facilitated by the Koeberg Nuclear Power Plant and the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa). Particularly noteworthy is Koeberg's commendable track record of supplying clean, affordable and reliable electricity to the country for nearly four decades. It is unjustifiable to deny accreditation to South African nuclear activists for COP28, an event where nuclear matters were on the agenda, especially when accreditation is granted to anti-nuclear activists.
Given the significance of nuclear energy in South Africa's future plans and the global commitment to expanding nuclear power, we request that you review and address the omission of nuclear energy topics in the South African Pavilion program at COP28.
Your attention to these matters is crucial for fostering transparency and inclusivity within international forums.
PS: In the interest of openness, we trust the Minister wouldn’t object if we decide to publicize this letter.
Sincerely
_____________________
Princess Mthombeni
Founder: Africa4Nuclear
E-mail: info@africa4nuclear.org