Govt delays Pilikwe radiation case, again
Mpho Mokwape | Friday November 7, 2014 15:31
On Wednesday, residents had their hopes dashed when the case was pushed further by five more months due to government’s failure to file papers on time. The case will be heard on May 13, 2015.
Government lawyer Thobo Ditlhobolo said they needed more time to prepare their heads of argument.
“The court had ordered that we file our submissions papers by the end of October but we have failed to do so as the matter involves a lot of technicalities that needs to be thoroughly accessed,” he said.
In August this year Justice Modiri Letsididi set a date to November 5 for argument of the case after respondent’s attorneys Motseoeme Tauyane and Ditlhobolo asked the court to give them more time to prepare heads of argument.
The Judge granted them relief for postponement of the case after the applicants’ attorney Bugalo Maripe showed no contention and had ordered both parties to file their papers before court not later than October 31. The Attorney General, Ngwato Land Board, Ministry of Infrastructure, Science and Technology and the chairperson of the Radiation Protection Inspectorate have all been cited as respondents.
The residents, through their attorney Maripe, filed papers five months back before court demanding that government should stop erecting a radiation facility at the village.
The villagers led by Dr Sebusang Sebusang and two others took the legal route after the Ngwato Land Board allocated the government land for the project despite residents’ disapproval.
Their main contention is that the environmental impact assessment was not conducted properly, and government did not consult with them despite fears the project could result in radioactive poisoning of the village.
The residents want the project removed from the village. Government on the other hand says in its answering affidavit that the case should be thrown out of court. It is government’s position that it consulted extensively since the announcement of the project and that it received all necessary approvals. Furthermore, the villagers welcomed the project as it will create jobs and that the applicants are only a small ‘pressure group’ that decided to fight in court.
The dispute can be traced back to 2012 when government announced it would build a radioactive facility in Pilikwe once the Ngwato Land Board approved its application for a piece of land. The facility, which is planned for under the National Development Plan 10, will be used for safe disposal and recycling of radiation material.