Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
9 April 2001
There exists a strong partnership between the IAEA and the international community, embodied within the Agency's programme and the three pillars that constitute its mandate: technology, safety and verification.
With the splitting of the atom, almost universal optimism existed that the world's energy problems would be solved and that the peaceful uses of nuclear energy would become the magic key that could unlock new doors to a better future for all. Since that time, nuclear technology applications have moved from research laboratories to routine use in hospitals, agriculture, industrial enterprises and universities. Isotopes and radiation applications have come to play an important role in providing humanity with basic requirements for their well being, such as food and water and a satisfactory standard of health.
The Technical Co-operation (TC) programme the IAEA is running in Member States countries, has been significantly increased in South Africa due to a number of successful project proposals for the 1999/2000 cycle. South Africa currently enjoys the highest implementation rate in Africa for its TC projects. Some of the highlights of projects include the pilot project in neonatal screening at the Johannesburg Hospital - -where two health workers have performed the mammoth task of taking blood samples from 3 000 babies in just a few months, the breeding of pigs resistant to African Swine Fever and the usage of molecular techniques to diagnose drug resistance in Tuberculosis.
In the field of education, South Africa is proud of the initiative to provide education in Radiation Protection to Member States in Africa. This initiative resulted in the establishment of a Centre for Postgraduate Education in Radiation Protection at the University of the Witwatersrand with assistance from the IAEA. A total of nineteen (19) students from thirteen (13) African countries successfully completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Science at the University, specialising in Radiation Protection. During the last 6 months of 2000, eighteen (18) students from sixteen (16) African countries attended the second course that was presented at the University.
Taking into account the key role that education plays in economic development, and in particular the vital necessity to create a proper infrastructure for the development of nuclear technology, this is an important contribution to the economic growth of the African continent. In view of the vitally important role of education and the capacity that South Africa is able to offer in this regard, the country is confident that this will prove to be a way in which the resources of the IAEA can contribute successfully to our goal of an African Renaissance.
It is important to note that during 1999, thirty-four (34) fellows/ scientific visitors from developing countries completed their training in South Africa. During the same period, thirteen (13) South African fellows/scientific visitors were placed for training in institutions overseas.
The effective usage of water resources remains one of the greatest challenges for Africa. The Regional Centre for Isotope Studies in Ground Water established at the University of the Witwatersrand with the assistance of the IAEA, continues to make a major contribution to many projects. These include the origins of salinity in, and sustainability of, ground water resources in southern Madagascar, water balance and vulnerability of aquifers in the village of Wobulenzi in Uganda and the sustainability of ground water in the Save River valley in Zimbabwe. These are only a few of the projects that are supported through this facility. A study is also taking place for a major project, under the auspices of the IAEA, to establish a ground water scheme designed to supply water to twenty (20) villages in South Africa from a number of well fields. This could provide a model for many other regions in the continent. These studies are making a major contribution to the alleviation of one of Africa's greatest problems: the scarcity of water.
On the African continent, the application of nuclear technology has in many instances, brought viable solutions to some of the problems we are confronted with. Africa has greatly succeeded in tailoring a communal approach to the utilisation of the peaceful uses of nuclear science through the work and activities of the African Regional Co-operative Agreement for Research, Development and Training related to Science and Technology (AFRA). This organisation functions under the auspices of the IAEA. During the past year a large number of South African experts participated in AFRA Specialised Teams which dealt with, inter alia, the conditioning and safe storage of spent radium sources, dam leakage detection, and the auditing of radiotherapy and nuclear medicine facilities. A number of South African scientists also participated in and contributed to the success of the first AFRA Conference on Research Reactors.
Three South African facilities: the SA Institute of Welding (for NDT), Tygerberg Hospital (Radiotherapy) and NECSA (Waste Management) have been pre-selected and audited to serve as Centres of Excellence through their acceptance as AFRA Regional Designated Centres.
South Africa has been active during the past years in activities related to nuclear safety. Not only has revised nuclear legislation dealing with nuclear safety regulation been implemented in February 2000, but extensive periodic safety reviews have also been completed at the Koeberg nuclear power plant. Attention has furthermore been focused on safety indicators as one of the tools that can provide an ongoing assurance of safety arrangement!s. Significant effort was expended to ensure that both the Koeberg nuclear power station as well as the national electricity network were unaffected by the Y2K phenomenon.
Environmental considerations and waste management practices in particular are issues that are growing in stature and are increasingly becoming a people's issue, a business imperative, a sensitive government debate and a technological challenge. South Africa is addressing this challenge in a holistic way. A draft national radioactive waste management policy and strategy has been completed. This will pave the way for signature and ratification of the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management. The Agency provides valuable guidance in developing standards for the management of such wastes.
The third pillar of the Agency's work relates to verification and the security of nuclear material. South Africa, the only country that has unilaterally destroyed its nuclear weapons capability, attaches great value to the Agency's safeguards regime.
After having succeeded to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons on 10 September 1991, the country signed a Fullscope Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA on 16 September that year. The country has played a leading role ever since in international nuclear Non-Proliferation and disarmament matters and has a proud record in this regard.
One of South Africa's most successful efforts was the 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the NPT where South Africa contributed significantly to the eventual decision to extend the treaty indefinitely. The proposal by South Africa initiated a set of Principles and Objectives that included a commitment to concluding negotiations for a Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) no later than 1996. South Africa participated actively in negotiations with regard to the conclusion of such a treaty and on 24 September 1996, the country signed the CTBT.
South Africa's commitment to nuclear disarmament extends also to our own continent. South Africa played an active role in the negotiations of the African Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty, the so-called Pelindaba Treaty together with its African partners. The Treaty will fulfil the function of preventing a nuclear arms race on the continent and will also prevent the introduction of nuclear explosive devices into Africa by any state. The Treaty will also promote African co-operation in the various uses of nuclear technology for economic and social development.
South Africa welcomes the outcome of the 2000 NPT Review Conference with particular reference to the importance of the Agency's safeguards system in strengthening the Non-Proliferation regime and in providing assurance of compliance with Non-Proliferation undertakings.
The recognition of the role of Agency Safeguards and support for the universal implementation thereof, emphasises the "strategic partnership" that exists between the IAEA as the trustee of the safeguards system on the one hand, and the international community on the other. International efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons and to achieve nuclear disarmament are shared responsibilities that cannot be accomplished by any single organisation or State on its own.
South Africa firmly believes that the strengthened safeguards system is a vital mechanism in the achievement of the ultimate goals of nuclear Non-Proliferation and nuclear disarmament. The three elements it contains - namely increased access to information about a State's nuclear activities, broader access to sites and locations within a State and lastly, the maximum use of new and available technologies to increase detection and ultimately reduce the frequency of on-site inspection - will provide added security, assurance and transparency.
The last decade has seen significant advances in the quest for global peace and security, but serious challenges are still faced.
The IAEA remains pivotal, not only for the advancement of the uses of "Atoms for Peace", but also in the furtherance of Non-Proliferation as a critical means along the road towards ridding the world of nuclear weapons.
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