Joint Convention on Safety of Spent Fuel Management & on Safety of Radioactive Waste Management: briefing & adoption

ECONOMIC AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS SELECT COMMITTEE
07 June 2006
JOINT CONVENTION ON SAFETY OF SPENT FUEL MANAGEMENT AND ON SAFETY OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT: BRIEFING AND ADOPTION

Chairperson: Ms N Ntwanambi (ANC, Western Cape)

Documents handed out:
Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management presentation

SUMMARY
The Department of Minerals and Energy briefed the Committee on the Joint Convention on Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management. The Committee was pleased to learn that South Africa participated on an international level within an African context in these matters. Members asked questions about nuclear safety, in particular for communities living close to nuclear facilities and workers at these facilities. The Convention was approved.

MINUTES

Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) presentation

Mr Tshidiso Maqubela, DME Chief Director: Nuclear Energy, presented the Joint Convention on Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (the Convention). The Committee was excited to learn that South Africa participated in the African context on the issues of minerals and energy.

Discussion
The Chairperson requested the Department to clarify what was being done about the claims made by people living near to Pelindaba and who had worked in its nuclear facilities.

Mr Maqubela replied that the claims were being investigated and medical records were being collected. However, thus far the claims had proved to be spurious.

Ms P Themba (ANC, Mpumalanga) asked if it would be possible to make SA’s Country Report available to all citizens to enable them to understand the dangers of nuclear energy. She also asked how the Department assisted people who got ill as a result of radioactive waste.

Mr Maqubela replied that the environmental movement took part in public discussions and the Department was looking into issues of participation closely. Usually community based organisations were invited as observers when the Department convened meetings and during deliberations on the country report. He added that under normal circumstances, reports would not be circulated unless approval was granted.

Mr J Sibiya (ANC, Limpopo) asked what evacuation plans and systems existed.

The Department replied that there were facilities in place even though there was no need to evacuate people under any circumstances because the nuclear storage sites were in remote areas, far from where people lived. Facilities were there to educate and warn people regarding accidents even though much of the responsibility lay with the local authorities.

Mr Hendricks wanted to know how SA was doing with management of nuclear waste at sea.

The Department responded that sea waste management methods were in place even though there were no policy and strategy pronouncements yet. Other methods of waste management included above ground storage, deep geological storage and a process of recycling and transmutation, which was not necessarily being explored in the country.

Mr Sibiya asked about security at nuclear installations. How often did the Department hold meetings to discuss radioactive waste issues?

Mr Maqubela said that nuclear installations were national key points and as such were highly protected. The Department was looking at more public participation. A forum had been established to inform the public of nuclear issues and policies introduced by the Department.

Mr Z Kolweni (ANC, North West) was concerned that most people in the community were not informed about radioactive waste management and what preventative measures needed to be taken in emergencies.

Mr Maqubela said that other than public meetings, the Department also produced leaflets to inform the public about radioactive waste management and other dangers involved. The intention was to produce leaflets in all South African languages to reach every citizen.

The Committee report on the Convention was adopted unanimously.

The meeting was adjourned.