The new leader of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress party has indicated that he will scrap plans for a multibillion-dollar nuclear power plant championed by President Zuma amid fears that it could bankrupt the country.
Cyril Ramaphosa said that the programme was unnecessary and unaffordable and that the country should focus on other forms of nuclear energy instead.
“We have excess power right now and we have no money to go for major nuclear plant building,” he said at the World Economic Forum in Davos. “We have said the nuclear process will be looked at in the broad context of affordability.”
His pronouncement will come as an embarrassment to Mr Zuma, South Africa’s outgoing president, who has pushed plans to build up to eight nuclear reactors costing as much as R1 trillion ($84 billion).
Mr Zuma has made several trips to Russia, where he is thought to have discussed the deal with President Putin. In October he appointed a close ally with links to the Kremlin as energy minister, who set about fast-tracking the plans.
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Mr Zuma’s time in office has been blighted by allegations of corruption and his critics argue that the plan would have involved kickbacks to fund his retirement.
Mr Ramaphosa also confirmed the existence of the “State Capture” phenomenon; it is alleged that politically connected businessmen install pliant officials in government to manipulate policy and win state contracts.
Substantial evidence has emerged in leaked emails and through the testimonies of whistleblowers of the alleged looting of state-owned enterprises by individuals linked to the Gupta brothers, who are close to Mr Zuma and have business interests in technology, media, aviation and mining. The absence of criminal charges had been attributed to Mr Zuma’s alleged appointment of sympathetic officials in law enforcement.
Mr Ramaphosa’s election to the head of the ruling party has coincided with a flurry of activity by the anti-corruption police and state prosecutors, who have seized the assets of companies linked to the Guptas.
“We are now going to go to the depths of what corruption has been taking place in [state-owned enterprises],” Mr Ramaphosa said. “We have an independent judge [leading a public inquiry] and this process will go along identifying those who have committed wrong and making sure they are brought to book.”
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He said that Mr Zuma was “anxious” about stepping down as president of South Africa. He denied that Mr Zuma had asked for immunity from prosecution, adding: “The law must take its course.”
“He is naturally feeling anxious and he wants matters to be handled carefully,” he said. “My key interest is to move the country forward, it’s not so much what happens to an individual.”