Although environmental lobby group Earthlife Africa is not part of a team probing health concerns at the Pelindaba nuclear facility, it will be allowed to make submissions, a spokesperson for the investigator said.
”We couldn’t have included the stakeholders because it would have taken away the independence,” said Simpiwe Msibi, spokesperson for the team led by Mogwera Khoathane.
”Any stakeholder with relevant information and [who] can help the investigation going forward will be contacted and will give their input.”
This would include Earthlife Africa, the energy ministry and the National Nuclear Regulator, Msibi said.
Already, 173 employees are down to be interviewed in the investigation, due to begin ”in a few weeks”.
”They will be contacted and called in.”
Earthlife Africa had said it was concerned there would be a ”whitewash” and no independence without any of the team members it had proposed.
”We now have no hope that the Necsa [Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa] study will be independent. It looks like a whitewash,” spokesperson Mashile Phalane said in a statement.
His statement followed a recent meeting by ill workers of Necsa, Earthlife Africa, the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the justice and peace desk of the Catholic Bishops Conference with Khoathane to discuss civil-society participation in the study.
Khoathane was appointed by the Necsa board to probe allegations made against the occupational health and safety practices of Necsa as well as events leading to the death of employee Victor Motha at the company’s nuclear reactor near Pretoria.
Khoatane’s team include Annanda How, an internationally registered International Organisation for Standardisation auditor and trainer for quality and environmental management systems, and Shaun Guy, a radiation-protection and radioactive waste-management expert.
Other members are Mokgothu Brian Nkonoane, a practising attorney with experience in personal-injury claims and litigation matters; Monde Ntwasa, a molecular biologist; and Barney de Villiers, an occupational health expert.
Earthlife Africa had proposed environmental lawyer Richard Spoor, occupational health specialist Murray Coombs, environmental scientist and toxicologist Willie van Niekerk, organisational psychologist AA Ngwezi, international public-health specialist Gordon Thompson, and international epidemiologist Richard Clapp.
The group felt that because some of its nominees were not from South Africa, they could be independent of Necsa since they did not depend on the organisation for contracts or employment. — Sapa