Pelindaba
Encyclopedia
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
's main Nuclear Research Centre, run by The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation
NECSA
The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation was established as a public company by the Republic of South Africa Nuclear Energy Act in 1999 and is wholly owned by the State...
, and was the location where South Africa's atomic bombs of the 1970s were developed, constructed and subsequently stored. It is situated near the Hartbeespoort Dam
Hartbeespoort Dam
Hartbeespoort Dam also known as Harties is a dam situated in the North West Province of South Africa . It lies in a valley to the south of the Magaliesberg mountain range and north of the Witwatersberg mountain range, about 35 kilometres west of Pretoria...
, approximately 33km (22 miles) west of Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
on the farm which belonged to Gustav Preller
Gustav Preller
Gustav Schoeman Preller is known as a journalist, historian, writer and literarary critic.He fought for the recognition of Afrikaans. Preller helped the Afrikaner to awake to...
.
History
Since 1965 the research reactor SAFARI-1SAFARI-1
SAFARI-1 is a 20 MW research reactor, initially used for high level nuclear physics research programmes and was commissioned in 1965.The reactor is owned and operated by NECSA at their facility in Pelindaba, South Africa....
runs and has an output up to 20 MW. A 4 MV Van de Graaff
Van de Graaff generator
A Van de Graaff generator is an electrostatic generator which uses a moving belt to accumulate very high voltages on a hollow metal globe on the top of the stand. It was invented in 1929 by American physicist Robert J. Van de Graaff. The potential differences achieved in modern Van de Graaff...
particle accelerator
Particle accelerator
A particle accelerator is a device that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles to high speeds and to contain them in well-defined beams. An ordinary CRT television set is a simple form of accelerator. There are two basic types: electrostatic and oscillating field accelerators.In...
works for different purposes in nuclear sciences
Nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...
.
The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA) was established as a public company by the Republic of South Africa in 1999.
1996 Pelindaba Accident
An accident at PelindabaPelindaba
Pelindaba is South Africa's main Nuclear Research Centre, run by The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation, and was the location where South Africa's atomic bombs of the 1970s were developed, constructed and subsequently stored...
research facility results in the exposure of workers to radiation. Harold Daniels and several others died from cancers and radiation burns related to the exposure.
2009 Pelindaba leak
16 March 2009, a leak of radioactive gases from PelindabaPelindaba
Pelindaba is South Africa's main Nuclear Research Centre, run by The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation, and was the location where South Africa's atomic bombs of the 1970s were developed, constructed and subsequently stored...
is reported by NECSA. Abnormal levels of gamma radiation associated with Xenon and Krypton gases are detected, causing an evacuation of staff and an emergency to be declared. Mike Kantey is forcibly evicted from a "nuclear stakeholders meeting" in Cape Town.
Armed attack on the facility
Shortly after midnight on 8 November 2007, four armed men entered the facility and headed towards a control room in the eastern block. According to the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA), the state-owned entity that runs the facility, the four "technically sophisticated criminals" deactivated several layers of security, including a 10,000-volt electrical fence, suggesting insider knowledge of the system. An off-duty emergency services officer, who was shot by the men after a brief struggle, triggered the alarm, alerting a nearby police station. The four attackers escaped the facility by the same way they had entered. Though their images were captured on closed-circuit television, they were not detected by security officers because nobody was monitoring the cameras at the time. On 16 November, three suspects, between the ages of 17 and 28, were arrested by local police in connection with the incident. In response to the attack, NECSANECSA
The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation was established as a public company by the Republic of South Africa Nuclear Energy Act in 1999 and is wholly owned by the State...
suspended six Pelindaba security personnel, including the general manager of security, and promised an "internal investigation which will cover culpability, negligence and improvements of Security Systems."
See also
- Treaty of Pelindaba - African Nuclear Weapons Free Zone Treaty
- South Africa and weapons of mass destructionSouth Africa and weapons of mass destructionFrom the 1960s to the 1980s, South Africa pursued research into weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. Six nuclear weapons were assembled...