Huge Support  for Earthlife Africa stance - listen to the people!

Press release: 25th  August 2003.

A number of critical substantive  issues have been raised during the EIA process.  Earthlife Africa Cape Town made an input into the draft Environmental Impact Assessment report, raising these important issues that were then mostly ignored by Eskom.

Amongst these issues is:
- the economic viability of the PBMR,  there is no information to prove its viability
- the radioactive nuclear waste that remains toxic for at least 250 000 years with no place to store it, and
- the health impacts, particularly of low dose radiation

Today was the deadline for appeals.  Despite the complicated process, there have been many organizations which have jumped through the hoops and appealed.  Many organisations have sent copies of their appeals to us  - and we have also received over 40 individual message of support from individuals and organisations.

Organisations which sent letters of support included Captrust, The Wetlands Trust, and COSATU (Atlantis) .  Appeals were sent by the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa, The Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference, SANCO (Amatola region), NAMREC,  Environmental Monitoring Group,   as well as various regions of the Environmental Justice Network (which comprises over 500 individual community organisations).  The National Union of Mineworkers was also not formally consulted by Eskom and the Cape Town city council also slipped in its appeal albeit at the eleventh hour.  Earthlife Africa has asked for a copy of their appeal.

"We are pleased that the city has raised the issue of long term waste storage" said Liz McDaid. " and the need for proper emergency planning procedures has been highlighted by the grounding of the Sealand express on Milnerton beach.  If the ship had been carrying fuel or high level waste, how fast would the response have been?  Right now, we have a ship's cocktail of hazardous chemicals and we are still waiting for the offloading of the containers?"

We believe that DEAT has received at least 60 appeals.  The ball, or pebble in this case, is now in the Minister's court.  This is a test for political leadership.  Listen to the people - the answer is blowing in the wind!