Pretoria’s nuclear bombs ARE unsafe

Security breached for fourth time at Pelindaba nuclear-bomb storage facility in Pretoria

According to the international Nuclear Threat Initiative, Pretoria’s  massive vault at its Pelindaba nuclear facility contains 600kg of weapons-grade uranium, which is sufficient to build 20 nuclear bombs. Yet its security has now been breached by heavily-armed criminals for the fourth time in seven years. In one incident, two seperate teams had managed to penetrate several layers of security to reach the security-control room…

“South Africa has not committed itself to eliminating hundreds of kilograms of weapons-grade highly-enriched uranium. It has yet to ratify an amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material.’ 

Also, in June, nuclear security specialist Matthew Bunn, a senior Harvard academic, co-authored ‘Progress on Securing Nuclear Weapons and Materials: The Four-Year Effort,” (left) which has some shed light on some of the security vulnerabilities of South Africa’s nuclear facilities. It states: “South Africa has not committed itself to eliminating hundreds of kilograms of weapons-grade highly enriched uranium.  It has yet to ratify an amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material.” (co-authored by Matthew Bunn, Eben Harrell & Martin B. Malin, March 2012: Harvard Kennedy School Belfer centre for Science and International Affairs).

“The international community is growing increasingly concerned about the security breaches at Pelindaba”, writes Graeme Hosken in The Times in South Africa on July 12 2012.

He quotes a top international security expert on July 12 2012 as warning that the poor security at South Africa’s nuclear facilities ‘are a cause for concern’. His warning comes in the wake of a third security breach at the Pelindaba nuclear research centre – a top national security keypoint – in seven years.The centre, west of Pretoria, was used by the pre-1994  government as a nuclear-weapons research facility.  It is now used to manufacture medical isotopes. The other nuclear facility, Koeberg power station, is in Western Cape. 

This is a summary.

For the entire very detailed Times newspaper report by Graeme Hoskens, read:
http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2012/07/12/security-breached

Reported incidents of nuclear or radioactive materials trafficking: South Africa:

April 25, 2012 On 17 August 2011, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announced the return of 6.3 kilograms (13.8 pounds) of U.S.-origin highly enriched uranium (HEU) spent fuel from a research facility in South Africa. The return was implemented in cooperation with the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa). The returned fuel will be held securely in storage in the U.S. pending disposition. In 2008, the U.S. assisted Necsa in the conversion of the SAFARI-1 reactor to low enriched uranium (LEU) fuel, and supported South Africa’s effort to produce Mo-99 radioisotope from LEU instead of HEU targets. Abstract Number: 20110440 Headline: U.S.-Origin HEU Returned from South Africa Date: 17 August 2011 Bibliography: “NNSA Announces Return of U.S.-Origin Highly Enriched Uranium Spent Fuel from South Africa,” National Nuclear Security Administration, 17 August 2011, http://nnsa.energy.gov

September 16, 2011 Nuclear Proliferation: the crime with no punishment

By Eben Harrell, Research Associate, Project on Managing the Atom – “Nuclear proliferation is a crime that pays well. Those involved in the Khan network were made very wealthy for their efforts, and the inability of the international community to effectively punish them has resulted in a missed opportunity to provide a deterrent against future black-market salesmen.”

http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/publication/21310/nuclear_proliferation.html

Party Voices Concern Over Nuclear Security in South Africa:

On 8 June 2011, the Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesperson announced that they had written to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with a request to ensure that South Africa’s stock of weapons grade uranium is securely stored, and to help South Africa have its uranium downgraded so that it could not be used in the production of nuclear weapons. The DA also requested that the IAEA get the South African government to disclose the results of an investigation into the 2007 security breach at the Pelindaba nuclear research center. Abstract Number: 20110720 Headline: Party Voices Concern over Nuclear Security in South Africa Date: 8 June 2011 Bibliography: “DA Writes to IAEA over Nuclear Security Concerns,” The Citizen, 8 June 2011, www.citizen.co.za

http://www.nti.org/analysis/articles/party-voices-concern-over-nuclear-security-south-africa/

http://www.nti.org/country-profiles/south-africa/

http://www.nti.org/media/pdfs/south_africa_nuclear.pdf?_=1316466791

US & South Africa Strengthen Partnership to Prevent Illicit Weapons of Mass Destruction-Related Trade Nov 20, 2009

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and South Africa’s Department of Trade and Industry today announced the completion of the first ever bilateral Weapons of Mass Destruction Commodity Identification Training (WMD-CIT) instructor workshop in Pretoria, South Africa.  United States and South African interagency officials, including NNSA and a multi-National Laboratory training team, and the South African Revenue Service and South African Department of Energy, discussed global best practices to help front line inspectors identify weapons of mass destruction and WMD-related goods across international borders.  Recognizing WMD and related goods allows law enforcement officials to stop and respond to suspicious transfers.

http://nnsa.energy.gov/mediaroom/pressreleases/11.20.09

http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/

For the entire very detailed Times newspaper report by Graeme Hoskens, read:
http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2012/07/12/security-breached

A nuclear Site is Breached – by Micah Zenko, Washington Post, Dec 20, 2007 –

                   http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/19/AR2007121901857.html

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