The Sarah Baartman District Municipality has brought Eskom and Khoi-San Traditional Leaders together to discuss the proposed nuclear development at Thyspunt.
Thyspunt plans discussed in Humansdorp
The Sarah Baartman District Municipality (SBDM) hosted the stakeholder engagement session in Humansdorp on Saturday.
Led by the SBDM Executive Mayor, the meeting gave Eskom an opportunity to brief Traditional Leaders on the proposed Nuclear Build Programme at Thyspunt.
The discussion covered the anticipated timelines for the project, as well as possible socio-economic opportunities and the environmental processes involved.
However, the session also gave Khoi-San Traditional Authorities an opportunity to put their own concerns and priorities on the table.
Heritage and environment among key concerns
Several important local issues emerged during the discussions. These included biodiversity conservation and the protection of Khoi-San heritage in the Thyspunt area.
Traditional Leaders also raised questions around job creation, education and skills development. In addition, they highlighted economic empowerment, youth development and long-term environmental stewardship.
These issues are particularly relevant given the scale of the proposed development and its potential impact on communities across the region.
Eskom responded to the concerns raised during the meeting. It also provided more information on how these matters could be considered as the Nuclear Build Programme progresses.
Community involvement remains important
The meeting also looked at ways to maintain community participation as the process moves forward.
For SBDM, the engagement highlighted the importance of keeping communication open between Eskom, Traditional Leaders and communities that could be affected by the proposed development.
The Thyspunt nuclear proposal has been discussed for many years and remains a significant issue for the greater Kouga region.
As plans develop, environmental protection, heritage, employment and local economic opportunities are likely to remain central to the conversation.
The Humansdorp session provided another opportunity for local stakeholders to hear more about the proposal while raising issues directly with Eskom.
Building a nuclear power station in an area that already produces excess electricity through wind turbines is absurd. Primary reason for the absurdity is not just the extremely high cost of building a nuclear power station, but that the Government will have to borrow the money to build it. The beneficiaries will not be the South African people, nor will they be the South African Government – they will be whoever holds the loan. Probably the Chinese or Russians or French.
Secondly, Nuclear power is a 1960’s technology and frowned upon by billions of people globally. In Europe the non nuclear zones attract many more tourists than the nuclear areas. Solar and wind power are now making such fast advances, especially with the rapid technological advancement of battery capacity.