CONSTITUTIONAL COMMENTARY AND EVENTS
ARTICLES AND STATEMENTS
PODCASTS
SUBMISSIONS
SPEECHES
EVENTS
ROUNDTABLE SERIES 2018: NUMBER 2
On Wednesday, 11 July 2018, the Centre for Unity in Diversity (CUD), supported by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS), hosted a discussion in Cape Town on
STATEMENT: ENOUGH OF THE EFF’S RACISM
The FW de Klerk Foundation condemns the vitriolic attack by EFF Deputy President, Floyd Shivambu, on Ismail Momoniat at a meeting of the Standing Committee on Finance on 5 June 2018. This indicates yet again the abuse of parliamentary privilege and more significantly, the rabid race politics of the EFF.
Shivambu objected to the presence of Treasury Deputy Director-General Ismail Momoniat at the meeting. He asked why Director-General Dondo Mogajane did not appear and concluded that this undermined African ‘representativeness’. He went so far as to say that Momoniat’s presence undermined African leadership. An EFF statement reasserted Shivambu’s comments, “Momoniat has no regard for black, particularly African leadership in National Treasury and this includes his disrespect of Director-General and African Ministers and Deputy Ministers. To him, leadership that deserves respect is only those of Indian, Coloured or White origin. In virtually everything that National Treasury does, Momoniat dictates.”
ARTICLE: ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS VS ECONOMIC STABILITY
In March of 2018, the Minister of Energy, Jeff Radebe, finally signed power purchase agreements with 27 Independent Power Providers (IPPs) on behalf of Eskom – the national electricity provider. These agreements should have been signed as far back as 2015, under the auspices of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP). REIPPPP was launched in 2011 to encourage private investment and help in the development of the renewable energy sector in South Africa.
South Africa is particularly suited for renewable energy generation due to the abundance of wind for wind farms and sunshine for solar energy projects. In December 2017, the Department of Energy stated that since the commencement of REIPPPP in 2011, the country had attracted over R194 billion in investments. On 1 June 2018, Radebe announced a new round in REIPPPP, which could bring between R40 billion and R50 billion worth of investment to the sector. The delay in the signing of the agreements came from several avenues. Eskom resisted pressure from the State to execute the agreements, citing the high cost of procuring and producing renewable energy. Eskom also stated that it was operating at overcapacity, meaning that it was, and is, producing more electricity than demanded by consumers. This reasoning was used to suggest that there was, therefore, no need for alternative energy sources, much less more expensive ones.
CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES
- Equality
- Non-racialism
- Gender Rights
- The Constitution
- The Rule of Law
- Multiparty Democracy
- Personal Rights
- Cultural, Religious and Language Rights
- Freedom of Expression and Political Rights
- Social and Economic Rights
- Property Rights
- Education
- Access To The Courts, Information And Fair Adminstration