To commemorate Africa Day on 25 May 2016, Earthlife Africa-Johannesburg (ELA) and its partner organisations are holding a demonstration at the Department of Energy in Pretoria appealing to the Minister not to ‘nuke’ the continent.

The environmental justice group, ELA wants to remind the Minister of Energy, Tina Joemat- Pettersson on this special day celebrating Africa that government is supposed to respond to civil society’s application to the high court on the proposed nuclear deal, this after it failed to deliver its answering affidavits on May 13 2016.

Africa Day is held every year across the continent to mark the founding of the Organisation of African Unity – now known as the African Union – in 1963, and is a celebration of the diversity of Africa and also a call to unity for the continent.

Venue: Department of Energy, 192 Visagie Street, Pretoria
Date: 25 May 2016
Time: 10:00 – 12:30

Lerato Maregele, Programmes Officer at Earthlife Africa states,“ If nuclear is the answer what is the question? The question is not an energy one? We don’t need to make Africa a nuclear continent when we have so much sun. Government can't be spending money on false solutions like nuclear energy whilst the South African public is crying out about poor service delivery.”

Earthlife Africa Jhb and the Southern African Faith Communities Environment’ Institute (SAFCEI) have legally appealed to the Minister of Energy and President Jacob Zuma for the procurement process for 9600 MW of nuclear energy to be adjourned until lawful and constitutional procurement practises are followed.

Earthlife Africa and SAFCEI launched its court papers on October 12th 2015, and then waited for months for the Minister of Energy to provide the records of the decisions being challenged. In that period, ELA and SAFCEI and generously allowed the government extensions which eventually meant that government only provided the requisite documents on 16th February 2016.The nature of these documents led to ELA and SAFCEI and amending and supplementing its court papers, and the government deadline for responding to them was the 13th May 2016.