ANC attempting to block oversight over nuclear deal

23 February 2016

ANC members of the Portfolio Committee on Energy were at odds with Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson today, and attempted to block her attempts to conduct a nuclear procurement process that is both open and transparent.

The Minister announced in the committee that the procurement process would be overseen by the highly successful Independent Power Producer Programme (IPPP). The IPPP has a proven track record of managing procurements costs downwards through a process that is both open and accountable.

I was therefore greatly disappointed by the attempts of certain ANC members of the committee, including the Chairperson, to challenge the Minister and prevent oversight over the nuke deal by the IPPP. This is not only at odds with the Minister, but also with President Zuma’s commitment to a transparent procurement process.

Given the scope of the proposed deal, the potential for cost-overruns and corruption must be guarded against on all fronts. Medupi is prime example of how catastrophic it can be when projects of this scale are not properly managed and are seized by the ANC for their benefit.

The DA remains resolute that any nuclear procurement process must be open and transparent and give due consideration to the feasibility thereof after extensive economic impact assessments have been conducted. 

The DA fully supports the role of the IPPP in accomplishing this goal and will challenge the ANC’s attempts to block their involvement vehemently.

Statement issued by Gordon MacKay MP, DA Shadow Minister of Energy, 23 February 2016