No nuclear dumping: Mbeki
Tumelo Modisane
29 April 2005
The government has stated unequivocally that the nuclear facility at Pelindaba has not been dumping radioactive waste on the site.
This follows a statement issued on Tuesday by environmental activists Earthlife Africa calling for an urgent investigation into "high" nuclear radiation levels in the vicinity of Pelindaba.
President Thabo Mbeki said the statement was "reckless and not true".
"We can't go around scaring people about something that does not exist", Mbeki said. He was speaking after a ceremony in Pretoria, at which he received a "Champion of the Earth" award from the United Nations for "outstanding and inspirational leadership in the field of environment".
Government spokesperson Joel Netshitenzhe said the site in question was used by geologists to calibrate instruments used in uranium exploration activities, and had concrete slabs containing uranium or thorium or potassium ore concentrates, none of which was
radioactive.
Netshitenzhe said that given the undue panic that had been generated, South Africans - including the media - needed to exercise caution when handling information from organisations which "have their own agenda".
The National Nuclear Regulator was expected to release a statement later on Friday on its investigation into the site.
Source: BuaNews
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