- Thomas Garner, Chairperson of the South African Independent Power Producers’ Association, (SAIPPA) has taken note of the deplorable comments made by Dr. Eddie O’Connor, now former-Chairperson of Mainstream Renewables.
- O’Conner said that Africa’s energy transition was being held back by a lack of education in “tribal societies.”Â
- O’Connor made the comments while speaking on a panel about the energy transition at the the Dublin Climate Dialogues last week. Read more
“As an organisation, and as individuals within the organisation, we denounce this type of colonialist, paternalistic and arrogant behaviour and we welcome him stepping down from his position. We have engaged the South African Mainstream Renewables team this afternoon. A constructive discussion followed in which we conveyed our appreciation for their willingness to engage with us and to listen to our views and inputs,” said Garner in a press statement.
“We also discussed the deep-seated damage and pain that apartheid has caused in our country and that we need to engage with each other as South Africans, and with foreign companies doing business in South Africa, in a more honest and vulnerable way.  We will also increase our efforts to foster transformative engagement, and help prevent this type of behaviour negatively impacting on the energy sector, and on South Africa (and Africa) as a whole,” Garner concluded.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
