Life in South Africa

Eastern Cape to host nuclear power station

Plans for a nuclear power station to be built at Thyspunt, adjoining St Francis Bay (Eastern Cape), have been approved by the Western District Council (WDC), despite opposition from mayors of towns in the area.

A census is to be held in St Francis Bay to determine whether there are ten thousand people living there. If this is the case, mayor Jean Chaput says that Eskom can not legally proceed with the plan. The plan has been rejected by the Jeffreys Bay Council, and the Kouga Mayors Forum deferred a decision at its annual meeting, saying it wanted to discuss the question with Eskom and the government.

According to mayor Chaput, the proposed reactor was a "pebble bed" type, which employed techniques "abandoned by the Germans". The reactor will not provide employment, since it is only the size of a house, and those employed will in any event probably be specialists acquired from overseas.

Chairman of the Kouga Nuclear Concern Group Hilton Thorpe says that the decision was based on inaccurate population figures in the Kouga Sub-Regional Structure Plan -- in terms of the safety requirements laid down by the Nuclear Safety Council, there should be no more than 10 000 people in the area at any time, whereas the numbers are "certainly approaching and may exceed ten thousand". He was heartened, however, by conditions attached to the approval, which included rezoning, public participation, an environmental impact assessment and safety restrictions.

Chairman of the WDC Mandile Manentsa said that the decision had been taken in the interests of the country as a whole: "[t]he democratic process prevailed in that the majority adopted the recommendations prepared by the officials. There were counter arguments, and all were afforded the opportunity to present them before the final resolution was taken". Manentsa said that the figure of 10 000 people had "not been quantified" by St Francis Bay councillor Taylor when he addressed the council.

Taylor said in response that he had specifically mentioned the 10 000 population restriction and that he had given Manentsa a copy of his speech before the meeting.

The plan was opposed by the WDC representatives from Jeffreys Bay and Oyster Bay.

Copyright by kind consent Mr Anthony Katz; Our Times week ending 18 December 1998.

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