German Chancellor Angela Merkel meets 200 Tuks students
German Chancellor Angela Merkel began her official visit to South Africa in Tshwane on Thursday as both countries made energy security a priority in their bilateral discussions.
Merkel’s visit comes as South Africa continues to battle with rolling blackouts as a result of load shedding that is testing the patience of both the public and investors.
“We have had an informative discussion on energy,” President Cyril Ramaphosa told the media at a joint press briefing.
“South Africa is on a journey to ensure mixed energy where coal will still play a key role in our economy, but renewables will also play an important role.”
“Germany has moved away from coal to renewables and are looking forward to 2038 when coal won’t be used, whereas in South Africa we are 89% reliant on coal. We can learn from Germany’s experience of transition and what happened to coal-fired power stations.
“We need to ensure that as our old coal-fired power stations come to the end of their life, that we ensure workers and communities have a just transition,” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa emphasized the government’s decision to allow for self-generation on the part of cities and companies which can now generate their own energy.
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