Civil society group FutureSA on Thursday called for a national referendum on nuclear energy that would enable national participation and direct decision-making by South Africans.

Civil society groupings have expressed concerns around a planned energy indaba, which is scheduled to take place in December.

Energy Minister David Mahlobo recently announced plans to convene the indaba, where the country’s revised Integrated Resource Plan will be discussed.

FutureSA said it feared that the indaba might become a pseudo consultation process on nuclear energy.

Nuclear energy procurement has been met with opposition from civil society and a range of environmental organisations, for various reasons including high costs, the lack of transparency around the nuclear deal and environmental factors.

Yesterday the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute and Earthlife Africa Johannesburg were back in court, following success earlier in the year, in a bid to stop Mahlobo from fast-tracking any unconstitutional nuclear deal, and to try and stop government and State-owned enterprise Eskom from commencing with a tender process. Meanwhile the groups are compelling Mahlobo to give assurances that due process will be followed in relation to a nuclear deal.

FutureSA said it lends its voice to those who have expressed concerns about the indaba being used as a whitewashing initiative – it added that it may be used to try and create an impression that there has been consultation on nuclear energy to comply with the Constitution.

“But a single indaba on the issue cannot be deemed as sufficient consultation on such an important issue, with fundamental implications for the future,” said FutureSA.

FutureSA Convener Mandla Nkomfe said true consultation should include the broadest possible form of participation by all South Africans.

“We have seen how lack of transparency, which created an environment for shady deals in relation to the arms procurement process, has dragged our country through years of controversy and legal wrangles,” said Nkomfe.

FutureSA said it remained deeply concerned that despite lack of expert consensus on South Africa’s medium- to long-term energy requirements, successive finance ministers indicating that South Africa does not have money for nuclear energy, issues raised by environmental rights and scientific groups regarding the environmental and economic benefits of alternative renewable and sustainable sources of energy, and concerns by parliamentarians regarding the safety and efficacy of nuclear energy, certain individuals within government still seemed intent on pushing through a nuclear agenda.