Cape Town - The dismissal of community representative Peter Becker from the board of the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) has caused some communities in the areas surrounding Koeberg and nearby sites, as well as civil society organisations, to raise concerns about safety in nuclear development and having their voices fairly represented.
Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe officially dismissed Becker for statements on decisions Eskom had been taking and his call for more transparency from Eskom about problems at the Koeberg nuclear plant. Coincidentally, he was suspended the day the NNR allowed Eskom to replace the steam generators for Unit 2 of Koeberg Nuclear Power Station.
Becker, who has been a relentless critic of the government’s alleged lack of transparency around the life extension of the Koeberg power plant, announced yesterday that he would be challenging the minister’s decision to dismiss him in court after a public meeting was held with several civil society organisations.
Project 90 by 2030 spokesperson Gabriel Klaasen, who facilitated the meeting, said the objective was to discuss whether or not the public felt it important to be represented on the NNR board and how exactly they wanted to be represented.
Some of these communities and civil societies were worried that their safety and other concerns about nuclear energy would be either silenced or ineffectively dealt with.
Community activist Lydia Petersen said they had many concerns about the safety of Koeberg, such as the recent contamination leak and a “flimsy evacuation plan that severely lacks substance” in terms of safety, awareness and action.
“Consider Koeberg’s emergency alarm system test, while many in the surrounding suburbs could hear the alarms, many could not hear the announcements on the public address system. This was therefore futile. Who will raise our safety concerns about Koeberg now?” said Petersen.
“It is rather disappointing that the current energy minister seems to be similarly dismissive of critical voices,” said Outa adviser Liziwe McDaid.
In his letter of discharge to Becker as the director of the board of the NNR, Mantashe said the reason behind the dismissal was alleged misconduct and a conflict of interest that interfered with his duties to the NNR.
Some of the issues mentioned were Becker’s public opinions on nuclear activity, his opposition to the lifespan extension of Koeberg, and his meetings with civil society organisations, either in his capacity as a member “on” or “of” the NNR board.
Klaasen said they have called for Becker to be reinstated, as the energy regulator either knew that Becker was anti-nuclear when he joined the board, or they didn’t look at the résumés they received.
“During Sona 2022, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that no one should be left behind when it comes to an energy transition. How is this promise justified when his ministers are doing all they can to ensure the exact opposite?” said Klaasen.