April 2011: A fracking nuclear plot

Top-up business newsletter from Mo Haarhoff at Studio M

A fracking nuclear plot

It’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good and after Japan’s threefold disaster last month, reports are coming through of radiation traces noted in the USA’s Ohio rainwater and, in the other direction, China, South Korea, the Philippines and Vietnam.

People as far away as Europe are getting itchy about nuclear power.

It’s the one thing that few of us seemed to register initially: that sea and air travel independently. Time and tide wait for no man, whether carrying ships or every little fish (with apologies to Noel Coward) that swims.

All those welcome south-westerly breezes that cut Durban’s humidity could partially originate in Japan, as could the warm sea current, my atlas says.

No, I’m not trying to put the fear of God into you.

I was pleased to read this week that people who insisted on returning to Chernobyl a month after that disaster are still living happily and healthily there.

They savour local fish, mushrooms and berries, so Sapa reported. One elderly woman grows her own vegetables and claims the supposed dead zone is beautiful in summer when the grass is sweet and the flowers bloom.

Roughly 7 500 Ukrainians still work in the area. They receive what we would call ‘danger pay’ and spend 15 days out of the zone after every 15 days in it. Their radiation levels are tested annually and they limit their intake of scrumptious fresh mushrooms accordingly.

Despite my intense grounding in post-war literature, which always described the Japanese penchant for suicide bombing raids and their merciless treatment of prisoners of war, I have tremendous respect for them.

They are a people who know how to put their heads down and get on with the job.

And a lot was learned from Hiroshima! I have no doubt they will rebuild their country in record time. They have the sort of guts and determination most of us envy. Far more, I suspect, than South Africans.

I speak of course, as one whose brand new washing machine went on the blink yesterday. I am, as a result, virtually considering suicide for the second time in a month. Lord knows what I’d be like if the fridge also packs up!

In the same week that earthquake, tsunami and nuclear fears struck Japan, I was a little disappointed to note that our parliament gaily pushed through its power plan with no queries or amendments.

I thought a brief pause for consideration, at least, was warranted; and perhaps a minute’s silence in deference to all the lost, dead and injured in Japan.

But then, in this country, the previously disadvantaged count far more than the presently disadvantaged, don’t they?

Having caught the tail-end of a news clip from BBC World View, I am reassured that SA’s nuclear programme will cause less damage to the environment than fossil fuels, even in the event of disaster.

But I would still prefer to see more renewable energy and less new fossil-fuel and nuclear infrastructure. Our response to disasters is far slower than Japan’s. Once relocated to plastic tents, we are likely to stay there forever.

Also, when government or state-owned organisations cling to their in-house planning with tenacity, I immediately suspect that someone almighty is stashing away more money than he will ever be able to count...

The joke in all this is that the five sites for new SA nuclear plants were chosen by the apartheid government in the 1980s, M&G reported. Personally, I hadn’t heard of AMD, climate change or rising sea levels back then, let alone new kid on the block ‘fracking’.

Apparently two of the nuclear sites are in the Northern Cape (Schulpfontein and Brazil), not that far from the Karoo, where Shell is set on fracking its little heart out. I can’t define any sure link between fracking and nuclear fallout, but isn’t that the whole point?

Who really can?

But the pointers are all there in the waste. Lewis Gordon Pugh has strong opinions which are worth our consideration: http://blogs.uct.ac.za/blog/science-blog/2011/03/31/speech-by-lewis-gordon-pugh-a.k.a.-the-human-polar-bear

If SA’s aged power plan reflects the dynamic thought processes of Eskom’s brightest minds today, I shudder. I also wonder just how many checks and balances have been considered in the 30-odd years between concept and this presentation. We should, I suspect, be very, very scared of any organisation that hasn’t progressed at all since the 80s.

Tony Stott, Eskom’s nuclear spokesperson, claimed that Koeberg has given Eskom a nuclear safety culture. You’ve gotta laugh...does he suppose Japan had none? So do tell, Stott: what is Eskom’s strategy should the unbelievable happen, a combined earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster?

No, I’m not surprised you haven’t yet worked that one out! Let us know in 30 years.

And don’t forget the bolt that went missing a few years ago.

Energy minister Dipuo Peters says the state plans a nuclear energy supply expanded from 6.5% to 14% of the mix by 2030. Peters also happens to chair the inter-ministerial committee on climate change response.

 Anyone at all see any irony in that? Must be my imagination...

...Which brings me to another little item.

On the Internet, I came across a promotional article written by one of the Gupta brothers. That’s right, the guys who stand accused of fraternising too closely with those South Africans who wield too much power but want even more.

The Guptas also employ one of Zuma’s several sons and our local ill winds whisper that their money allows them not only affluence but also too much influence. Loans made by Indian banks to ‘related’ South Africans have also come up for criticism.

Although SA lies way behind most countries when it comes to Internet marketing, most computer-friendly citizens have at least a vague understanding of the term. Doubtless they have also heard that it is possible, without leaving your desk, to make obscene amounts of money earning commissions on sales.

No formal qualifications to become an Internet marketer are required.

The ability to blog and write the odd promotional article can be acquired. Although the Gupta brothers own Sahara Computers locally, they are now buying into other companies and Zuma’s son is along for the ride.

The article I found infers the Guptas are affiliates of Dell Laptops in India. Dell, in turn, sells into the Indian market via the Internet. Whether Indian banks are lending to SA state-aligned wannabes or the Guptas are lending directly to those South Africans from their own Indian bank account, the plan seems quite ingenious.

And means JZ should not be caught out again. No wonder Shabir now appears superfluous.

Studio M’s bottom line: We are already into the notorious Easter holiday season when South Africans appear to shut up shop for nearly a month. Down our way, Umhlanga Rocks is experiencing power shortages, which really hinders their holiday trade. During the summer holidays, the Glenwood-Umbilo area was plagued with outages that continue to blow our appliances. I suspect it’s all a fracking nuclear plot to convince us!
Mo