Environmental activists and community members of the Kouga Municipality in the Eastern Cape are raising their concerns around the proposed construction of a 5 200-megawatt nuclear plant by Eskom in Thyspunt.
An environmental justice organisation, Earthlife Africa, joined communities, environmental groups and heritage advocates to voice out their concerns over the proposed plant.
Kouga Municipality mayor Hatting Bornman says among residents’ concerns is the estimated 10 000 strong workforce the construction will bring to the small town, adding strain on the municipality’s infrastructure.
“We have got capacity for normal growth of our towns in terms of providing infrastructure for them, but we do not have sufficient infrastructure for the people that will be coming here during the construction of the plant. We’re speaking of many, many thousands of people that will be coming here. That is a huge concern to the municipality in terms of the water, the sanitation, electricity, and refuse removal – all of those things are things that people will be knocking on our doors and not Eskom’s doors.”
Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokoena says, “These aspects are evaluated alongside the environmental specialist studies to ensure that potential impacts and opportunities are appropriately identified and assessed. Should the project proceed, appropriate mitigation measures will be developed in collaboration with the relevant authorities, municipalities, and stakeholders to address potential challenges relating to housing, transportation networks, public services, other municipal infrastructure, and other community requirements.”
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