Earthlife Africa has formally handed over the records and medical files of hundreds of the workers to the Public Protector, who has promised to investigate allegations that working at the nuclear plants left many of them terminally ill and caused the death of dozens of others.
Employees not adequately compensated
EarthLife Africa, the Pelindaba Working Group, and the Atteridgeville workers group, which comprises former nuclear labourers from the Pretoria area, allege they were forced to work near or with contaminated material without protective clothing and that they were not adequately compensated for their illnesses.
Necsa denies their allegations and says they were properly treated and given the necessary protective clothing.
The workers and their families are hoping that the Public Protector will get to the bottom of the issue and justice will be served.
Earthlife Africa fights for worker compensation
Their cause has been tirelessly fought for by EarthLife Africa on a very limited budget. The group managed to obtain medical records from Necsa, fund a medical doctor to undertake medical assessments for workers and identify likely candidates for compensation.
“Earthlife is very grateful that the Public Prosecutor has now taken an interest in the concerns of the workers and we will work with the staff of this institution to ensure that the best possible outcomes are achieved,” read the environmental groups statement.
“We will also work to ensure that workers, in the nuclear installations in South Africa and on the mines where uranium is mined, are afforded the protection that the health and safety regulations require.”
“The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophe.” - Albert Einstein
By Mel Frykberg
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