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Activists simulate nuclear disaster outside environmental affairs department

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A simulated nuclear disaster was demonstrated outside the department of environmental affairs building in Pretoria on Thursday morning, in protest against the environmental authorisation that has been issued for a nuclear power station to be built at Duynefontein, north of Koeberg in the Western Cape.

The protest, led by activists of Greenpeace Africa and Earthlife South Africa, saw the main entrance of the building being blocked off with nuclear barrels, and activists dressed in white nuclear suits.

On October 12, chief director responsible for integrated environmental authorisations in the department of environmental affairs, Sabelo Malaza, granted the authorisation.

Eskom, who had applied to the department for the authorisation in 2007, had commissioned an environmental consultancy company, Gibb, to conduct the Environmental Impact Assessment process which analysed various options and factors surrounding the location. Duynefontein was eventually selected ahead of four other locations – Brazil and Schulpfontein in the Northern Cape, Bantamsklip in the Western Cape and Thyspunt in the Eastern Cape.

“The protest highlights the fact that nuclear is dangerous and expensive and should not be under consideration in South Africa,” Greenpeace Africa said.

Greenpeace Africa activist Melita Steele said that a memorandum was handed over to Malaza, with demands that the Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa withdraw the authorisation.

“The reason that we’re protesting today is because we believe that the department has not taken our constitutional right to a healthy environment to heart when they actually approved the construction of a nuclear power station,” Steele said.

Earlier in the morning, members of the police force and the fire department attempted to remove the activists from protesting in front of the building.


“Eventually the activists said that they are not prepared to leave until the demands are met and that the environmental authorisation is revoked or the minister comes down and talks to us,” she said.

Steele said that they were looking for a commitment from the department that the authorisation would be withdrawn.

“Sabelo came out and had quite a long discussion with us, saying that we need to go through official channels to raise our demands. But we said that we have been engaging with them for six to seven years now and oppose the environmental impact assessment and that is why we have to now protest, even if it is peacefully,” she said.

Malaza believed that while the environmental lobbyists had the right to protest and express themselves, they should have gone through official channels such as opposing the authorisation.

“We are disappointed, given there is a formal process in legislation that allows people who are not happy with any administrative decision to take it up through an appeal process. And our stance is that they were aware of the process because, even if you are to read through the documentation that we issued, we highlighted that if you are unhappy with the decision, you can appeal the decision with the minister,” he said.

Malaza said that this was an unrelated complaint because the department decided on this based on the environmental impact assessment by an “objective party who undertakes the studies on behalf of the applicant”.

“They will also take up any displeasure that is given from any interested and affected party and give us a response against each issue which has been raised. We felt that most of the issues were raised we actually responded to adequately.”

Malaza said that if the groups, who are set to continue with their protests throughout the day outside the department, are still unhappy they can lodge an appeal with the minister and “say what it is in the decision that they are not happy about. The minister will look at the issues they are raising and decide to review the decision or set it aside”.

“A detailed appeal will be submitted to the minister tomorrow. Greenpeace, Earthlife Africa and the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute will consider their legal options in terms of the way forward, pending a decision on the appeal by the department of environmental affairs,” Greenpeace said.


Avantika Seeth
Multimedia journalist
City Press
p:+27 11 713 9001
w:www.citypress.co.za  e: avantika.seeth@citypress.co.za
      
 
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