{"id":101718,"date":"2025-10-24T10:09:38","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T08:09:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/?p=101718"},"modified":"2025-10-24T10:10:56","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T08:10:56","slug":"safcei-criticises-governments-false-solutions-in-new-energy-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/safcei-criticises-governments-false-solutions-in-new-energy-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"SAFCEI Criticises Government\u2019s \u2018False Solutions\u2019 in New Energy Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za<\/a> <\/em>
\n3-minute read | 24 October 2025 | 07:40 CAT<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"

\ud83d\udcf7 Power lines stretch across a smoky Johannesburg skyline as South Africa debates its future energy path. (AI-generated image)<\/p><\/div>\n

The recently unveiled Integrated Resource Plan (IRP)<\/em> outlining South Africa\u2019s R2 trillion energy roadmaps has sparked criticism from environmental and civil society groups who argue that the government is doubling down on outdated and harmful energy systems.<\/p>\n

Electricity Minister Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa presented the plan earlier this week, confirming that fossil fuels will remain part of South Africa\u2019s energy mix as the nation transitions toward cleaner sources like solar and wind. However, the Southern African Faith Communities\u2019 Environment Institute (SAFCEI)<\/em> says the government\u2019s continued reliance on coal, gas, and nuclear undermines its commitment to sustainable, pro-poor energy reform.<\/p>\n

In an interview with Radio Islam International<\/em><\/a>, SAFCEI Executive Director Francesca de Gasparis<\/em> said, \u201cThere was a sense of government really trying to have it all. While there was some recognition of climate change, I didn\u2019t feel this government is serious about a pro-poor way of sourcing energy.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

De Gasparis expressed concern that the plan fails to adequately address Eskom\u2019s inefficiencies or the economic realities facing ordinary South Africans. \u201cI didn\u2019t get a sense that the minister wanted to do the necessary reforms that Eskom needs to deliver clean, affordable power,\u201d<\/em> she added.<\/p>\n

The IRP\u2019s inclusion of coal and nuclear despite previous government promises to phase them out has drawn particular ire. De Gasparis noted the influence of entrenched interests: \u201cThere\u2019s a very strong coal lobby. It\u2019s been declared a critical mineral, so we see politicians trying to squeeze previous interests into a new reality.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

She warned that the plan represents a \u201cdoubling down\u201d on \u201cfalse solutions to climate change coal, gas, nuclear that government knows shouldn\u2019t be part of the future energy mix but keeps to protect vested interests.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

De Gasparis also highlighted two major weaknesses in the IRP: a lack of public consultation and unclear financing. \u201cWhen asked about funding, the minister simply said, \u2018We\u2019ll let you know.\u2019 That\u2019s a glaring gap, especially as these energy systems will only make electricity more expensive,\u201d<\/em> she said.<\/p>\n

With public submissions now open, environmental groups are urging South Africans to challenge the IRP and demand a transparent, climate-conscious approach that prioritises affordability and community well-being.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t afford expensive, dirty energy anymore,\u201d<\/em> De Gasparis concluded. \u201cThe people and the planet deserve better.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Listen<\/strong> to the full interview on The Daily Round-Up<\/em><\/a> with Moulana Junaid Kharsany and SAFCEI Executive Director Francesca de Gasparis.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za 3-minute read | 24 October 2025 | 07:40 CAT The recently unveiled Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) outlining South Africa\u2019s R2 trillion energy roadmaps has sparked criticism from environmental and civil society groups who argue that the government is doubling down on outdated and harmful energy systems. Electricity Minister Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":101719,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[28,4995],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-101718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-south-africa"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/ChatGPT-Image-Oct-24-2025-10_04_19-AM.png?fit=1239%2C1028&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0QIf-qsC","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-25 14:08:54","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101718","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101718"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101718\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/101719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}