JOHANNESBURG, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The South African Department of Public Enterprises is spending 4 million rand on its bid to give the image of nuclear power in South Africa a makeover.
The price tag was revealed in a reply by Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin to a parliamentary question by Independent Democrats energy spokesman Lance Greyling.
Greyling asked the question after it emerged that the department had engaged the services of brand consultants Freedthinkers for the exercise, according to the South African Press Association.
Among other things, Freedthinkers is seeking to identify so-called "nuclear ambassadors" to endorse nuclear power in communities and the business world.
Erwin said in his reply that the consultants were hired not to build support for nuclear energy, but to undertake research into levels of awareness, perceptions and attitudes towards nuclear and related issues, such as climate change, among "key stakeholder groups" and the population at large.
"The purpose of this research is to promote an open and honest discussion around nuclear, to ensure that the public are well informed about the pros and cons of nuclear and why the South African government has chosen to use nuclear as part of the energy system," he said.
Parallel to the research in public perceptions was the development of a nuclear vocabulary in all eleven official languages. This would "ensure that public discourse on nuclear related issues is accessible to all South Africans".
The department had set aside a budget of 4 million rand for the research and development of the vocabulary and communications strategy, he said.
This was an eight-month-long project, covering six provinces.
