No ways to a corrupt Karpowership deal

South Africa’s leaders should stop pushing for stomach politics – where it is only about how much money they can chow – and start using their brains by not chasing false solutions that will destroy our environment and the future of our children.

As someone who was born and raised in Soweto and who is an active member of the Soweto Electricity Crisis Committee (SECC), I have valid objections against questionable projects such as Karpowership, that are being falsely promoted as viable solutions to load shedding.

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Life is difficult for many Sowetans. A number of us do not have a way to earn an income and struggle to even pay R19 for a loaf of bread. The estimates are that if the South African government goes ahead with the Karpowership deal, electricity will cost us R5 per unit. This is about two to three times more expensive than renewable energy.

If we can’t even afford to buy a loaf of bread, how will we afford R5 for a unit of electricity?

The Turkish gas-to-power supplier will not solve the energy crisis that we are facing as Sowetans.

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe and other political leaders want to sign the Karpowership deal, even though they know how high unemployment is in South Africa. What does that mean for the poor working class?

If our political leaders sign the deal with Karpowership and electricity becomes even more expensive, it could be the final nail in the coffin for Soweto’s working class.

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I am also very concerned about the alleged corruption linked to this case. It is still fresh in my mind how our government stole money from the poor and sick during the Covid pandemic. When people were dying, our leaders enriched themselves with money that was meant to buy personal protective equipment for the underprivileged and healthcare workers. And they got away with it.

How do we know Karpowership is not another way for them to pocket even more money?

As a community, we are learning more about the dangers of gas. It is bad for the environment and our health and risky for our economy and job creation.

I do not want my children and their children to use electricity that is generated from something that can make them sick and poor.

There are other ways to generate electricity. Just because we are poor does not mean the government can try to sign deals without proper consultations with us. Just because we cannot afford data to get information on the internet does not mean we must not be consulted. We know what is best for us.

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The Soweto Towers used to be the Orlando Power Station. Why can’t we turn that into a socially owned solar plant that will actually deal with our electricity issues and increase job opportunities for Sowetans?

As the SECC, we say no to Karpowership. We say no to deals that are designed to steal more money from our country. We say no to more corruption and abusing the vulnerable, poor working class. No leader has a right to steal in our name.

Ongazi makazi on how to stop this energy crisis! (Let the one who does not know how to stop the energy crisis be equipped on how to stop it.)

-Shezi is Soweto Electricity Crisis Committee’s energy coordinator