What started out as Honorable Gwede Mantesha’s maiden speech post South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet reshuffle on 6th March 2023 that saw the Minerals and Energy Minister survive musical chairs, turned into a platform for Green Peace who, despite the calmness at the 2023 Africa Energy Indaba delegates, took advantage to make a statement on contentious issue in the energy sector.
The 2023 Africa Energy Indaba has been convened under the theme “African Energy Transitioning to a Sustainable and Prosperous Future”.
The Minister who was interrupted when making a key statement on the African Union’s 2063 Agenda stated that the “African Union’s Agenda 2063 directs us to aspire for an Africa whose development is people driven, relying on the potential offered by African people. It is based on this aspirational goal that this Africa Energy Indaba must serve as a ray of hope to the African people. Their voice on the Energy Transition must be heard. That is the voice that says, Energy production in Africa must be aligned to Africa’s socio-economic development. This means that there must be a balance between energy demand for socio-economic development and energy supply that is premised on low carbon emissions”.
Despite the silent protest, the Minister further stated that “this is what the delegates at this Indaba must be pro-occupied with which ought to be a measure of whether we are succeeding in our deliberations. Differences about the pace, scale and how to balance the transition will always exist, however, as African leaders, we are duty bound to act with determination to resolve the intricate problems that beset our continent without the encirclement pressure to please others first. We must be pragmatic in our approach to a low emissions future”.
The Minister requested that the Green peace protestors be left along as giving them attention would only be a distraction to the important deliberations.
