Sabotage: Koeberg staff probed
2006-03-02 22:50
Adriaan Basson and Michele O'Connor
Johannesburg - Workers at the Koeberg nuclear plant have been drawn into the investigation into possible sabotage, said the public enterprises ministry on Thursday.
It also appears that several key posts, including those of the senior engineers who deal with accident investigations and safety evaluation, are vacant.
Minerals and Energy Minister Lindiwe Hendricks said that in the past two years eight of Koeberg's 60 engineers have left.
A spokesperson for Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin, who dropped the sabotage bombshell on Tuesday, said on Thursday that suspects already had been indentified.
Employees and outside contractors had been drawn into the investigation.
Meanwhile, the "normal" distribution of eletricity in the Western Cape is now in the hands of the national nuclear regulator.
Koeberg's unit 2 will be allowed to start up again to generate power for the province only once the NNR, watchdog on nuclear matters, has given the all-clear.
Phil Nkhwashu, NNR spokesperson, told Die Burger that unit 2 had now been switched off completely and definitely would remain off until the unit complied with all safety rules and regulations laid down by the regulator.
- Beeld