Sarkozy pledges billions to end Eskom's woes

Nicholas Sarkozy is on a two-day state visit to South Africa

France and South Africa have signed an agreement for the construction of a R16 billion power station in the country. This emerged after talks between President Thabo Mbeki and his visiting French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy, in Cape Town today.

The French government will also dispatch a team of engineers and nuclear technology experts to assist South Africa with its electricity crisis.

Sarkozy says the construction of the power station will not take into account tenders that four French companies are bidding for regarding the building of nuclear power plants.

Meanwhile, political analyst Romy Scevallier says Sarkozy is putting his money where his mouth is. Since he has been in office, Sarkozy has also made efforts to focus on contributing to the development of Africa as a whole.