nuclear-news

Parliamentarians taking up the cause of South Africa’s sick former nuclear workers

Political allies for past and present nuclear workers  Workers at Necsa are not alone. Support for their plight is at hand.  The New Age Mel Frykberg, 10 Nov 11 Former nuclear workers who have died or are suffering ill health, allegedly from working at the Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa’s (Necsa) nuclear complex, have found an ally in the DA’s new chief whip.

Wattie Watson, who was sworn in yesterday, has pledged to speed up answers to Parliamentary questions, including those affecting the nuclear workers. “I support the establishment of an independent enquiry into the former nuclear workers’ case,” Gareth Morgan, the DA shadow minister of water and environmental affairs told The New Age. “These workers haven’t received a fair hearing and we want to know how the government is going to respond,” said Morgan.

Watson said at the top of his priority list would be a request to Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe to pressure government ministers to respond to unanswered questions raised in Parliament. Labour Minister Nelisiwe Mildred Oliphant was asked on July 1 how many workers at Necsa’s Pelindaba, Koeberg and Ithuba laboratories had applied for occupational health compensation since inception and how many had applied annually.

The minister was further asked about the number of successful applications, the number who had received compensation, the amount compensated and the names of the recipients. To date, the DA has still not received a response despite the Parliamentary custom of responding in writing within 10 days.

The Habitat Council, the Pelindaba Working Group (PWG), comprising antinuclear activists and former workers, Earthlife Africa and former Atteridgeville workers, have also called for an independent enquiry, particularly into “Necsa’s suspect rebuttal of workers’ sicknesses”.
The public protector is investigating the case but told The New Age that more medical files were needed to support the compensation claims. However, Judith Taylor, Earthlife Africa Johannesburg’s coordinator, said that the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR), the nuclear watchdog, was largely to blame for the stalemate.

Mariette Liefferlink, a NNR board member, who expressed concern in her capacity as an activist and the CEO of the Federation for a Sustainable Environment, is deeply concerned by the plight of former nuclear workers. http://thenewage.co.za/34642-1007-53-Political_allies_for_past_and_present_nuclear_workers

November 11, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | health, South Africa