Lance Greyling, the ID spokesperson on energy, has slammed the government's hiring of brand managers Freedthinkers 'to convince the public of the virtues of nuclear energy.

'It is clear that the government is choosing to use vast sums of taxpayer's money to gain support for a policy position that should have instead been subjected to intense public participation,' Mr Greyling says.

'The government is trying to replace public participation, a cornerstone of our democracy, with pro-nuclear propaganda. It clearly states in the Government's 1998 White Paper on Energy that no decision will be taken to expand nuclear power in South Africa without comprehensive public participation processes.

'Not by any stretch of the imagination does public participation imply hiring corporate brand managers to run an expensive public relations exercise to convince a skeptical public to support a nuclear energy policy that has already been decided,' says Greyling.

'This is simply another case of the government refusing to listen to the concerns of the public instead of recognizing the value of the crucial process of public hearings that are the responsibility of Parliament.

'The ID finds it very suspicious that no one from Eskom, the Department of Minerals and Energy, or the Department of Public Enterprises attended the public hearings into nuclear energy that were held by the Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs and Tourism last year,' Greyling says.

'It is clear that unilateral decisions are being made to spend over R800 billion of taxpayers' money on nuclear energy with complete disregard for the views of the public.

'This is a decision that will affect our country for many generations to come and by ignoring the concerns of the people, the ANC government is showing contempt for them,' says Greyling.

For media enquiries, please call Steven Otter, ID Media Officer, on 084 233 3811