Meet Makoma Lekalakala: The Activist Who Killed The R1tn Russia South Africa Nuclear Deal
- Makoma Lekalakala is a tenacious environmental activist from Soweto who, together with her colleague, Liz McDaid, stopped the infamous Russian nuclear deal
- The director of Earthlife Africa did not have it easy and had to overcome many challenges while growing up in the tumultuous apartheid regime
- Regardless of her struggles, Makoma took on the government and won, earning her the coveted Goldman Environmental Prize
- Inspired by her fight against corruption and no-nonsense attitude, Makoma was named one of Briefly News Women of Wonder 2022
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Not many people can say they fought corruption and won. But Mokoma Lekalaka, an environmental activist from Soweto, did when she challenged the controversial nuclear agreement in 2017, together with fellow activist Liz McDaid.
The renowned environmental justice activist unveils her obstacles and successes in an exclusive interview with Briefly News.
Source: UGC
Makoma unpacks how losing her father during the Soweto uprisings changed her life
At a very young age, Makoma Lekalakala experienced a challenge that many young people living through apartheid did. In the 1970s, at the height of civil unrest in Soweto, a young Makoma was forced to quit school and enter the working world.
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"My studies ended when my father was butchered on his way back from work during the Soweto Uprisings in 1976.
"He was killed outside one of the hostels. That was when I stopped my studies and started working in retail.
"I don't like to mention the name of the company I worked for, but it was a big retail brand, and I worked in the back rooms doing stock taking," Makoma said.
Not being able to further her studies didn't stop the young activist.
Makoma soon found a sense of community and a support system in a network of older activists who continuously shared and encouraged her to continue learning and sharing experiences with others.
One such individual who inspired Mokoma's activism was Sibongile Mkhabela, who the activist affectionately calls Ausi Sibongile.
Makoma recounted for Briefly News how Ausi Sibongile inspired her:
"Her courage as a young person being part of the leadership of students who bravely confronted the imposed inferior education and the use of Afrikaans became a ripple effect of reviving the challenge to the unjust constitutional apartheid system.
"She remains humble and continues breaking barriers and walls for other women to propel and excel."
What set Makoma Lekalakala on the path of environmental justice?
Makoma's activism journey started very early on in life, but a particular injustice was what set her firmly on the path to environmental activism.
The inconsistent access to electricity in Soweto made it clear that there was so much more to fight for.
Energy inequality is a clear socio-economic issue for South Africa. Still, upon joining Earthlife Africa in 2007, Makoma learned that electricity inequality, similar to other socio-economic problems, is linked to environmental issues.
According to Daily Maverick, the presence of the power station towering over Orlando, Soweto, served as a reminder of the profound injustices that plagued the community.
While the power station continuously churned out fumes polluting the area and making residents sick, at the same time, it didn't offer reliable electricity to the detriment of the community.
Fighting the R1 trillion nuclear deal put Makoma on the map
It wasn't until the notorious South Africa-Russia Nuclear Agreement that Makoma became an international name in the environmental activism landscape.
The deal raised red flags for Lekalakala.
Other than the fact the nuclear power plant would have created long-term environmental destruction because there is no solution for radioactive waste, the fact the deal was enshrouded in secrecy raised alarm bells for the activist.
According to the Guardian, the nuclear agreement would have seen South Africa purchasing up to 10 nuclear power stations from Russia to the tune of R1 trillion.
"I am a strong advocate for renewable energy, which has a low carbon footprint. It was clear that nuclear energy is costly and will take too long to deliver.
"We kept asking questions, but the government was not giving us any answers.
"For me, everything around the nuclear deal reminded me of the arms deal, and we did not want another arms deal.
"That is when we took the government to court."
The court ruled in favour of Makoma and her colleague, Liz McDaid's legal bid, firmly bringing an end to the secret, undemocratic, trillion-rand nuclear deal.
When asked if she feared for her life at any stage of the legal battle against the government, Makoma simply stated they did want what was necessary to safeguard the hard-fought gains of a democratic society.
Makoma wants young activists to keep holding the government accountable
Lekalakala's parting words were for the young climate activists taking the system on, just like she has and continues to do.
"Young people are the future. We need young people to take on the mantle and continue that fight to protect the hard-won gains of activists that came before them.
"Young people need to take up space in leadership positions and hold the government accountable for its commitments to create a sustainable future for the next generations."
SA set to exploit green hydrogen sector, becoming a leader in Ramaphosa’s green energy revolution
Earlier, Briefly News reported President Cyril Ramaphosa has claimed that South Africa is determined to become a world leader in producing green hydrogen as part of the presidential green energy revolution.
Ramaphosa spoke to green energy delegates at the first ever green hydrogen Summit in Cape Town on Tuesday morning, 29 November. The president said green hydrogen was identified as one of the country's just energy transition investment plan's four frontiers.
According to SABC News, green hydrogen is produced by extracting hydrogen from water using renewable energy like solar and wind. Green hydrogen is used in energy-intensive industries like iron smelting, long-haul trucking, and jet aeroplanes.
Briefly News 2022 Women of Wonder aims to inspire women
Briefly News wants to celebrate the female changemakers of 2022 by honouring a few influential, inspiring women.
The team looked for women who made a success despite some tough challenges they faced in their respective sectors.
Our goal is to create inspirational content that shows our audience what the embodiment of a resilient and strong South A woman is.
Briefly News hopes to motivate other women to go beyond their limits.
If you want to participate in our next special project or want to be featured in one of Briefly News' women empowerment articles, please email contact@briefly.co.za with Women Empowerment in the subject line.
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Source: Briefly News
