Thyspunt Nuke Update
Firstly some great news:

The Minister of Arts and Culture has stated, in writing that the NPS will not be built at Thyspunt because of its negative effect on the cultural heritage of the Khoisan people. This follows the refusal of the South African Heritage Resources Arency (SAHRA) to approve the Heritage Impact Scoping Report.
Huge congratulations and “well dones” are appropriate to:
Our local MP, Elza van Lingen for pushing this matter and not resting until the issue got the attention it deserves,
Kobus Reichert of the Gamtkwa- Khoisan Council for his effort and many hours put into this issue,
Members of the Gamtkwa- Khoisan Council and SAHRA for sticking to their beliefs and not budging with Eskom’s usual steamroller tactics,
And last but not least the Thyspunt Alliance for their work in co-ordinating the fight.

Is this the end of the story……We fear not……


Eskom appears to be carrying on as if nothing happened…
Do they know something we don’t? Is it the intention of the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy to override this decision? Is it Eskom’s intention to fight the Minister of Arts and Culture in Court? They have access to enough taxpayers’ money to do so and are not shy to waste it!

Recently Eskom has been hard at work trying to obtain the area known as the “Thatch Farm” to build housing for some 3000 workers and their families. (The Thatch farm is bordered by the Air Park vineyard, Santereme, Sea Vista and the rubbish tip, for those who are not sure of its location). Imagine….when the Nuke is completed we will be left with most of the 3000 breadwinners out of work. Add to this the 2000 plus local breadwinners ex the Squid industry, which will have collapsed due to Eskom’s pumping 6,3 million cu meters of sand into South Africa’s prime squid breeding ground. Do the maths and…..5000 unemployed….. more than half the permanent population of the area! Crime? Property values? Spare a thought for the people of Sea Vista where unemployment and crime will be of catastrophic proportions.

Eskom has apparently indicated to land owners between Sea Vista and Thyspunt that they will be expropriating land between these two areas……ie. the main access road to the site will be as we feared, the R330, turning off to Thyspunt at Sea Vista. A heavy duty vehicle every 90 seconds during peak construction.

In spite of a report prepared by the leading archaeologist of this area, Dr Johan Binneman, that states clearly that the Thyspunt site is of huge importance, Eskom is saying that this all can be mitigated. The Thyspunt site covers a time-frame stretching from 300 years ago to 1,5million years ago, through various ice ages, flooding etc. In world archaeological terms this borders on the unique. Bear in mind that the Sterkstroom “Cradle of Mankind” and the” Neanderthal” sites in Europe only cover some 10’s of thousands of years and you get the idea.

Eskom is still saying that the Nuke and associated power lines will increase dairy production by some 5%. What utter rubbish…since when do Nukes and high voltage power lines make for happier cows and more milk?

We await Eskom’s new (well overdue) Draft Environmental Impact Report with bated breath…

We now appear to have discarded the idea of European and US backed Generation 3 nuclear reactors for South Africa.
There are rumours of our president, on his recent trip, talking to the Chinese about 6 reactors to be supplied by Chinese manufacturers. There are reports of our Vice-president talking to the South Koreans about them supplying the 6 reactors. Following is a quotation by Professor Steve Thomas, Professor of energy policy, International research unit, University of Greenwich: “Chinese reactors are based on the same design as Koeberg and it seems unlikely that they will meet Western safety standards. South Korean technology is untested (only a year after the construction at the first order in South Korea (sic)) and the Koreans admit that their design would need extensive additions to meet European regulations. However, Eskom and the SA government seem oblivious to these problems.”
May I remind you that Koeberg uses 1960’s technology, barely one generation of nuclear technology after Chernobyl and 3 Mile Island? Are we to have one of these 12km upwind from our homes? Or an untested and yet to be modified Korean one? With severely limited evacuation prospects? Even Jeffrey,s Bay, some 22km away should be fearful.

YOU CAN HELP……by supporting FOSTER and other groups affiliated to the Thyspunt Alliance. We need money! We must prepare for a probable court case, which we may or may not win, but dammit we have got to do it!

SO, for now, don’t pop the champagne yet or bring out that 18 year old single malt. We may still have a long fight on our hands. However for now, lets us to bask briefly in the glory of having won an important round!

We are continually consulting with an Environmental Lawyer in preparation for the fight please donate directly to:


Standard Bank Ltd,
Branch Code: 05-00-15-00
Acc Name: Residents Association Nuclear Fund
Acc Number: 186554788.

Written by Helmie Tilders