The South African Communist Party welcomes the Western Cape High Court ruling on the nuclear energy build programme. The SACP supports our country’s shift to an energy mix in principle, but is strongly opposed to the subverting of the rule of democratic law and applicable processes. Such unlawful conduct, the short-circuiting of our democratic procedures, is very dangerous.

The unnecessary haste that underpinned it, coupled with a display of disregard to affordability, fits in with the mould of corruption and rent-seeking. It appears to have been cast to feed such agendas and clearly comes across as yet another own goal. The government must take the message from the judgement to heart. It must follow procedures to the letter, and with due regard to affordability and the interests of the nation, the majority of whom is the working class and poor.

Issued by SACP