Cape Town - South Africa has been given the go-ahead by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to conduct a stress test on the Koeberg nuclear power station, Energy Minister Dipuo Peters said today.
Peters was speaking at a media briefing in Parliament by ministers of the government's international co-operation, trade and security cluster.
The stress test was requested by the department earlier this year after concern over Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster in March.
Peters said an inspection was carried out on Koeberg in March, but Cabinet called on the department to reassure South Africans that the country could respond to any nuclear threat.
She said various African ministers of energy would be meeting on Thursday at the UN's African Energy Ministers Conference in Johannesburg, to address ways to reduce energy intensity, discuss how Japan dealt with Fukushima and to discuss ways to move towards clean energy.
Turning to trade, the Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies, said South Africa was looking at ways to boost exports to the African continent and to Asian giants, China and India.
He said a central challenge around exports was that South Africa was exporting too few value-added products.
However, an understanding had been developed with China for the Asian country to assist South Africa to vamp up value-added exports and the department had given China a list of 10 value-added products that it wants South Africa to export to China, he said.
He hoped that South African businessmen would also be able to take advantage of a trade exhibition at the China expo at end of year.
He said South Africa's trade with India has been growing "very, very rapidly" and hit a combined trade of R42 billion in 2010, but pointed out that Indian statistics already suggest inter-country trade has passed the target of $10 billion by 2012.
He said the final calculation of trade figures, however, depended on figures connected to the export of gold to India.
Davies said following June's summit between the Southern African Development Community (SADC), East African Community (EAC) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) to set up a tripartite free trade agreement, a key agreement was made to strengthen measures in SADC itself before finalising the tripartite agreement.
He said there had been "no discernable impact" of Somali pirates on South Africa's trade with the rest of Africa, but pointed out that it remained a threat to trade with East Africa and to finalising the tripartite free trade agreement.
A meeting would be held next month to discuss a report currently being drafted on movement towards a SADC customs union, he said, adding that adequate consultation with the South African public would be held before any important decisions were taken.
Meanwhile, the SADC is developing a strategy to combat illegal migration and smuggling and trafficking of people.
Cluster chairwoman and Minister of Defence, Lindiwe Sisulu, said the strategy would be released in November.
Sisulu said illegal migration was being driven by the absence of an effective border monitoring mechanism, difficulties in repatriation of illegal migrants because many lacked documentation, poor co-operation between SADC members over migrants, an increase in cross-border syndicates and corrupt customs officials. - BuaNews
