Wasting the Nation.indd - Groundwork

Chapter 4: The toxic cradle of productionresponsible for the contamination, the owners of a nearby slimes dam from whichthe dun-coloured slurry water traces a clear trail to their dam, face no consequences. 67The NNR has since declared that the food from the area is safe to eat. Nevertheless,its study of the catchment [NNR 2007] confirms that significant amounts of uraniumare entering the Wonderfonteinspruit, that uranium is concentrated in the rivers andsediments from where it can be mobilised, and that it poses a health risk to residents.It has not explained the contradiction. 68The mining companies now propose to remove and consolidate all the slimes damsinto two mega slimes dams situated on granite rather than on dolomite. This moveis opposed by the considerable public mobilisation against the mining waste, whichhas given birth to a new environmental alliance, the Federation for SustainableEnvironments.Box 15: Radio-active wasteHow much radio-active waste is there in South Africa and what is happening to it?The status of radio-active waste has been a closely guarded secret, both because ofapartheid South Africa’s nuclear weapons programme and the miners’ direct interestin it. However, in 2000, an unusually frank audit of radio-active waste was puttogether by the Department of Minerals and Energy (DME).The report estimated that there could be 5,000 million tonnes of gold mine tailingscontaining uranium, and around 1,000 million tonnes of waste rock. About 25%of the uranium in mining waste had been extracted by 2000. Vast amounts of soilwere also contaminated along with buildings and materials used in uranium plantsand mines. Up to 1993, when mines first became subject to regulation by the NNR,contaminated mild steel scrap – an estimated 60,000 tonnes per year – was simplysold for recycling. More than 30 mines had been identified for decontamination, tobe paid for by the gold mining industry but, by 2000, only eight were reported tohave been cleaned up.67 Interview, 7 April 2008.68 See Paying the price for mining, Irin, February 15, 2008, at http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76780.- 94 - groundWork - Wasting the Nation