President Zuma slams critics of nuclear energy proposal

A visibly aggrieved President Jacob Zuma yesterday slammed the critics of the mooted nuclear deal, suggesting that they did not know the country's history.

Zuma told a gathering of ANC branches in Kagiso, West Rand, that Western countries had prevailed on the apartheid government to dismantle its nuclear weapons and programmes before the Communist Bloc-backed ANC could take over power at the end of the Cold War.

"Do you see where the nuclear issue comes from? They said [the ANC] shouldn't be in control of nuclear because they are communists. Destroy all that you have so that they don't acquire the skills to run nuclear," he told the branches.

The president's comments come on the back of a report in City Press yesterday in which Energy Minister David Mahlobo said the government would go ahead with its plans to acquire nuclear energy. Experts have estimated that nuclear build would cost more than a trillion rand.

Mahlobo's remarks fly in the face of Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba's assurances that the country cannot afford nuclear for at least five years.

On Friday Zuma, who toured the Steve Biko Academic Hospital's nuclear unit in Pretoria with Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, punted the nuclear line.

When Motsoaledi bragged about the expertise in the hospital's nuclear unit, Zuma interjected: "Nuclear. Remember the nuclear."

A Russian state-owned company is widely tipped to win the nuclear-build tender if Zuma's plan goes ahead. The president said yesterday that those who don't support the forces aligned to the former Soviet Bloc were backing the wrong horse.

"I hear some saying 'we don't want nuclear, we don't nuclear'. Webabo! In other words, in the balance of forces, you are supporting the wrong forces," he said, adding that the ANC started negotiations for a democratic order on the back foot because powers that backed it had collapsed.

He suggested that what are known as the sunset clauses - which allowed for economic compromises in favour of the former rulers of South Africa and their supporters - were opposed by people like Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma who apparently insisted that there should also be a "sunrise clause".

Dlamini-Zuma has Zuma's blessing to run for the ANC presidency.

"Due to the sunset clauses, the ANC is working with people who had declared it its enemy. We were forced to be friends even though we were not," Zuma said.

The memorial lecture was clearly a campaign for Dlamini-Zuma's presidential campaign. Those who attended were given yellow T-shirts saying "NDZ17".

Those who praised Dlamini-Zuma and Zuma included Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Des van Rooyen, both of whom are from the West Rand.

Mokonyane portrayed Zuma as a victim, saying a lot of people hate him because he wants to bring the land back to the people.

Zuma also used what was billed as the "Tambo Memorial Lecture" to plead for the unity of the ANC, saying deep-rooted factions were threatening to tear it apart

He alluded to his call at the closing of the ANC national policy conference in Nasrec in July that there should be compromises that will allow the losing presidential candidate to be retained as the party's deputy president, but not in as many words.

He challenged those who disagree with him to come up with a solution to factions, and promised to continue preaching the same message after the conference.

He said members shouldn't use the election of the top leadership to entrench factions and infighting within the party.

"Unity is a critical element of the existence of the ANC. It's easy to talk about unity, but we must see it in concrete practice in how you work. Factions need to be uprooted. Let's do away with disunity and factions because they are dangerous. They come from there [West], from the people who want to weaken the ANC. Let's destroy them and build the ANC."

The president said he was surprised the ANC leadership race was dividing the party. There are more than four candidates vying to replace Zuma. He also said the ANC-led alliance needs to be respected and preserved.