Note To Editor – These are remarks made by Thoko Mashiane MPL in the Mpumalanga Legislature
Honourable Speaker, Honourable Premier, Members of the Legislature
ActionSA rises in support of this motion with notice tabled by Honourable Weber, which rightly draws our attention to the devastating health and environmental consequences of air pollution in Mpumalanga.
Speaker, we are not dealing with a theoretical concern. We are talking about a province where children grow up coughing through their childhoods, where elderly residents carry asthma pumps instead of fresh air, and where entire communities live under a toxic blanket of sulphur dioxide and particulate matter. The science is clear. The images are undeniable. The consequences are generational.
Mpumalanga is South Africa’s industrial heartbeat, but it is also its environmental emergency ward. And this House must recognise that unless we confront the crisis of coal dependency and pollution with urgency and innovation, we are failing our constitutional duty—especially the duty outlined in Section 24 of the Constitution, which guarantees everyone the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or wellbeing.
Speaker, it is for this reason that ActionSA not only supports this motion but believes it must be the beginning of a bolder, more courageous conversation about Mpumalanga’s energy future.
The call for an action plan from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment is critical. But plans are only as good as the tools we use to implement them. And if we are serious about reducing emissions, improving air quality, and sustaining economic growth, we must explore clean, efficient, and scalable technologies that match our province’s unique challenges.
One such solution, emerging not from ideology, but from science, is the Coral Pebble Bed Reactor, or CPBR. ActionSA supports exploring this technology as part of a diverse, low-emissions energy mix that breaks our dependence on coal and secures reliable energy for our industries and communities.
Let me briefly highlight why CPBRs are worth serious consideration:
- First, these reactors are inherently safe. With passive safety systems that prevent overheating and meltdowns, they offer the public peace of mind while generating clean energy.
- Second, CPBRs operate at higher thermal efficiency than conventional nuclear plants, meaning we can produce more power using less fuel, with less environmental waste.
- Third, and crucially, they produce minimal long-lived radioactive waste, an issue that has rightly raised concerns about nuclear in the past.
- Fourth, the technology is modular and scalable. It can be deployed in phases, closer to where energy is needed, whether that’s industrial zones, rural development hubs, or transitioning mining towns.
- CPBRs can run on alternative fuels like thorium, and are difficult to weaponise, reducing the risk of nuclear proliferation.
Speaker, we are not suggesting this technology is a silver bullet. But we are saying that Mpumalanga needs real options, and CPBRs should be among them. Imagine replacing decommissioned coal plants with modular, clean reactors that don’t pollute our skies, poison our rivers, or destroy our people’s health.
The climate transition is not a luxury. It is a necessity. And as ActionSA, we believe this transition must be just, inclusive, and driven by evidence—not empty promises or delayed regulations.
We echo the call for accountability mechanisms, not just from Eskom but from all industrial contributors who operate in our province. If they profit from our land, they must protect it. If they want licenses, they must show emissions reductions. If they delay, they must face consequence.
Honourable Speaker,
The environment is not an opposition issue or a ruling party issue. It is a people’s issue. It is a justice issue. And most of all, it is a moral obligation to future generations.
ActionSA supports this motion and calls on all members of this House to move beyond rhetoric and towards implementation, towards science-based policymaking, clean energy investment, and the restoration of air our people can breathe without fear.
Let the clean future of Mpumalanga begin today.
I thank you.
ActionSA Calls for Bold, Science-Backed Solutions to Clean Mpumalanga’s Air and Power
Note To Editor – These are remarks made by Thoko Mashiane MPL in the Mpumalanga Legislature
Honourable Speaker, Honourable Premier, Members of the Legislature
ActionSA rises in support of this motion with notice tabled by Honourable Weber, which rightly draws our attention to the devastating health and environmental consequences of air pollution in Mpumalanga.
Speaker, we are not dealing with a theoretical concern. We are talking about a province where children grow up coughing through their childhoods, where elderly residents carry asthma pumps instead of fresh air, and where entire communities live under a toxic blanket of sulphur dioxide and particulate matter. The science is clear. The images are undeniable. The consequences are generational.
Mpumalanga is South Africa’s industrial heartbeat, but it is also its environmental emergency ward. And this House must recognise that unless we confront the crisis of coal dependency and pollution with urgency and innovation, we are failing our constitutional duty—especially the duty outlined in Section 24 of the Constitution, which guarantees everyone the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or wellbeing.
Speaker, it is for this reason that ActionSA not only supports this motion but believes it must be the beginning of a bolder, more courageous conversation about Mpumalanga’s energy future.
The call for an action plan from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment is critical. But plans are only as good as the tools we use to implement them. And if we are serious about reducing emissions, improving air quality, and sustaining economic growth, we must explore clean, efficient, and scalable technologies that match our province’s unique challenges.
One such solution, emerging not from ideology, but from science, is the Coral Pebble Bed Reactor, or CPBR. ActionSA supports exploring this technology as part of a diverse, low-emissions energy mix that breaks our dependence on coal and secures reliable energy for our industries and communities.
Let me briefly highlight why CPBRs are worth serious consideration:
Speaker, we are not suggesting this technology is a silver bullet. But we are saying that Mpumalanga needs real options, and CPBRs should be among them. Imagine replacing decommissioned coal plants with modular, clean reactors that don’t pollute our skies, poison our rivers, or destroy our people’s health.
The climate transition is not a luxury. It is a necessity. And as ActionSA, we believe this transition must be just, inclusive, and driven by evidence—not empty promises or delayed regulations.
We echo the call for accountability mechanisms, not just from Eskom but from all industrial contributors who operate in our province. If they profit from our land, they must protect it. If they want licenses, they must show emissions reductions. If they delay, they must face consequence.
Honourable Speaker,
The environment is not an opposition issue or a ruling party issue. It is a people’s issue. It is a justice issue. And most of all, it is a moral obligation to future generations.
ActionSA supports this motion and calls on all members of this House to move beyond rhetoric and towards implementation, towards science-based policymaking, clean energy investment, and the restoration of air our people can breathe without fear.
Let the clean future of Mpumalanga begin today.
I thank you.