'Now he's an expert?' Jacob Zuma's nuclear comments light up social media
![Former president Jacob Zuma badly wanted SA to sign a R1-trillion nuclear deal - with many people believing he would have got kickbacks. 'Nuclear could [have solved] our problems, once and for all,' he said at the weekend.](http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/6Ym25zUE--_qHIEtD605htfhZfcInOyNZXMTno9vQjgPmP6vkGcyAtB3DtYonOzAlrqjSP3Dkqq-HAPDudEm=s180)
Former president Jacob Zuma has again split opinions after claiming the current energy crisis could have been averted had South Africa gone ahead with a R1-trillion nuclear deal under his tenure.
Speaking to Business Day, Zuma said the proposed nuclear deal with Russia, which was a factor behind the firing of two finance ministers and subsequent market turmoil, would have prevented the country's energy crisis.
"The fact of the matter is nuclear could solve our problems, once and for all. Now we are in deep, we are therefore increasing the debt of the country with no hope to bring it down. That's a problem," he said.
South Africans have experienced rolling blackouts as power utility Eskom implemented stage 4 power cuts that have disrupted the day-to-day lives of South Africans.
Eskom said load-shedding would continue on Friday at stage 2 from 9am to 11pm, due to a capacity shortage.
Social media users took to Twitter on Friday to weigh in on Zuma's comments.
Jacob Zuma says that had we agreed to the Russia Nuclear (which he still believes in), we wouldn't be having #Loadshedding today. I simply rolled on the floor and laughed my lungs out.
— NtuthukoMdima🌟 (@Dclantis) March 22, 2019
Zuma says the potential nuclear deal with Russia would have prevented the energy crisis
— Márcio Lélis (@MarcioLelis_) March 22, 2019
Lol.
Y'all really got my mans out for no reason 😒😔
Things were better under Zuma
I will always say this South Africa was better under Jacob Zuma’s term y’all were played by White media and y’all started believing all nonsense that was written against the President,look where we are today with your darling president
— Umkhulu Bhungane (@BhunganeMousse) March 22, 2019
It's all Zuma's fault
Nuclear deal with Russia would have solved electricity crisis: Jacob Zuma. Shut up, fool. Nobody asked for your opinion. This mess is your fault.
— pamela (@PamelaSalalah) March 22, 2019
Zuma why do we keep entertaining this guy he failed as president now he becomes an expert. Zuma is fighting back to get piece of Nuclear Deal, Media is using him to discredit ANC & brew Factionalism within ANC.
— Xhosa Nation (@TGcukumana) March 22, 2019
NUCLEAR ☢️ POWER
— 💎THE MUDARIB + FV=PV(1+I)n💎 (@TheDestinyMan) March 22, 2019
ANC is in a catch 22 situation because they politicised the nuclear option when fighting Zuma, now ANC can no longer select NUCLEAR as an option 😂 #Loadshedding pic.twitter.com/eTPmS19s17
South Africa could've been running on nuclear energy as early as next year if they had signed 6 years ago
— news for you (@newsforyouSA) March 22, 2019
The Zuma Administration intended to do a deal with Russia but it fell through quickly.
Going by Egypt's project:
Construction 2021
Completion 2026
$25bn (loan)
4800 Mw https://t.co/Y39tUFH75g
Was it going to be built overnight?
Former President Jacob Zuma says "had Nuke deal with Russians gone through, we wouldn't be experiencing the current #LoadShedding crisis" ......Bathong kanthi how long does it takes to build a nuclear power station? pic.twitter.com/0ivwPZEcGT
— Abuti Josef🇿🇦 (@AbutiJosef) March 22, 2019
the man reveals his stupidity. They would only have been completed by, is 2030?
— Jacobus Pienaars (@JacobusPienaars) March 22, 2019
Jacob Zuma stands by his discredited Russian nuclear dealhttps://t.co/n8qMxBWTls
How long does it takes to built a nuclear power station? That's the questions. Not what it is that Zuma knows?
— Abuti Josef🇿🇦 (@AbutiJosef) March 22, 2019
why are people thinking that jacob zuma's nuclear power plant deal is not coming?
— the_answer (@system_jolt) March 22, 2019
south africa is trying to get that coal plant built? then south africa is going to get that zuma nuclear power plant built?
the build should start in the next 20 years?
It would have made us slaves to the Russians
We would be enslaved to RUSSIA if Jacob Zuma Nuclear deal(Inungu) was a success
— #MenAgainstWomenAbuse (@abusemustfall) March 22, 2019
.
Look at his legacy Medupi and Kusile
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Akungadlalwa ngathi