Residents sue govt over radiation facility

Mpho Mokwape | Tuesday June 17, 2014 06:59

 

The residents, represented by attorney Bugalo Maripe, last month filed papers before the High Court in Lobatse demanding that government stop the erection of the radiation facility and remove their village as the location for the project. 

The villagers took the legal route after the Ngwato Land Board allocated government a piece of land for the project, prompting villagers to rush to Pilikwe’s defence.

Yesterday, Maripe told Mmegi that Pilikwe residents are unhappy with government’s decision to go ahead with the project and the land board’s award of the land to government, despite their disapproval. He said the villagers’ main contention is that the environmental assessment was not done properly and that they were never consulted despite fears that the project would result in radioactive materials poisoning the village.

“The papers have been filed before court as the residents want the project removed from their village,” said Maripe.  He added that court dates have not been set, but said government has already responded and is demanding that the case be thrown out of court on technicalities. One of the government’s attorneys in the case, Motseoeme Tauyane could not be drawn into discussing the matter, saying the case is still in its initial stages. “I would like to give information on the matter but as it stands, the procedure is that there are people above me who can help with that or at least give me the go-ahead to discuss the matter further,” said Tauyane. However Mmegi has since learnt that in its answering affidavit, government argues that the residents have been consulted extensively since the announcement of the project. Government also wants the application thrown out as it says the project has received all necessary approvals.

Government’s responding papers also state that generally, villagers welcome the project as it will create jobs and that the applicants are only a small “pressure group” that have decided to fight in court. The radiation project can be traced back to 2012 when government announced that it would build the facility once the Ngwato Land Board approved its application for a piece of land. The facility, which is planned for under National Development Plan 10, will be used as an area where disused radiation sources can be reconditioned and brought back to use or repackaged and sent back to the manufacturer.