ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe says the national government must take the responsibility to create an environment for employment. File photo.Minerals and energy minister Gwede Mantashe has urged mining union the National Union of Mineworkers to discuss ways to save coal mining from extinction.
He said he had been labelled “a coal fundamentalist” and “a fossil fuel dinosaur” by lobbyists, but has accepted these titles because “I think the position we are taking on energy is a correct one”. “Our view is that, that adventurous approach to managing the transition is going to be dangerous. It is going to destroy the economy of particularly Mpumalanga. If we move that way, there will be no Mpumalanga in no time.
“We should acknowledge that energy is more complex, with a stampede in policy formulation. Many believe that we should switch from coal energy immediately and move to renewables without factoring in the socioeconomic conditions of the country. “Renewables will only be sustainable if they combine with a technology that provides base load. The leading candidate is nuclear in this regard,” said Mantashe.
Are the anc comrades getting richer through this outdated dinosaur?
I don't like this guy Gwede, his touching on strong points such as transition, jobs and economy. He's not against renewable energy, the government just need to have a smart move such as having base before we lift off.
Coal mines have more that one million workers are we saying all those workers must loose there jobs ningasinyeli this green energy must go to hell we won’t be told by European countries on how to get our energy we are rich in coal and they are jealous.
NUM Sellouts
Sophie_Mokoena Mantashe planning to use coal as the energy source for electricity for the next century🙄 fuck!
The world is moving to green energy and you are still battling with coal ? You are too old to catch up . We are not in the 18th Century. Vote EFF
Ei madoda. We need Green clean energy. Not this coal thing. When are they going to invest in other types of power energy sources?
Sophie_Mokoena