A Call to Action – Thyspunt Alliance

Stand With Us Again
The communities of this region have already shown what is possible when people work together to protect the places they care
about. For more than a decade, the communities of the Greater St Francis region and the Kouga stood together to protect one of
South Africa’s most extraordinary coastal landscapes. Through perseverance, scientific rigour, and an unwavering commitment
to the public interest, civil society helped ensure that the Thyspunt nuclear proposal was subjected to the most thorough
environmental scrutiny possible.

Nuclear 2 – March 2026
Now, Eskom has returned with WSP, a new set of consultants, to re-start the Scoping and Environmental Impact Assessment for the
development of Nuclear 2 at either Thyspunt or Bantamsklip in the Western Cape.
The issue of nuclear is a contentious issue. Safety and cost concerns are but two of the more debated issues. These issues will be
addressed on the bigger stage and throughout the process.

We are however, deeply concerned about the un-mitigable impacts this development will have on our region. If it goes ahead, it
will become the largest construction site in the southern hemisphere, located just outside our homes.

Impacts
While the Scoping document for the Nuclear 2 Environmental Impact Assessment is still pending, the serious environmental and
socio-economic issues highlighted in the earlier EIA continue to be of great concern. Among them are:
• The Thyspunt area, an area of global cultural heritage importance, faces the permanent loss of cultural heritage. This
region is remarkable for its cultural landscape and is the only place in the world that contains evidence of human
existence spanning from one million years ago to today. It can be considered as The Coastal Cradle of Modern
Human Man.
• Major landscape transformation within a sensitive coastal ecosystem.
• Displacement of approximately 6.35 million cubic metres of sand. The displacement of sand (4.5 million m3 of sand at
sea and the rest onto a not -yet-identified place on land) poses a threat to the existence of wetland systems in the
area that has been described by scientists as “a one-of-a-kind system of international importance”.
• Potential impacts on squid spawning grounds, affecting the regional squid fishing industry.
• Potential impacts on Seal Point surf, the previous modelling conducted for the EIA showed a negative impact on the
surf breaks at Seal Point.
• Significant traffic congestion and infrastructure strain are anticipated during the construction phase. It is projected
that there will be approximately 1,770 vehicle trips per day along the R330 (825 in the morning and 945 in the
afternoon) solely for personnel transport, with a planned entrance located opposite Sea Vista.
• Large influxes of non-local labour and jobseekers, placing pressure on small coastal communities. For the St Francis
Bay area, a workforce surge will most probably exceed the existing population capacity, creating social tension and
further increase infrastructure strain.

These risks are not theoretical. They were extensively documented during the previous Environmental Impact Assessment.

Why the work of the Thyspunt Alliance matters
Environmental Impact Assessments for projects of this scale involve complex scientific, engineering and legal documentation.
Meaningful participation requires:
• expert scientific review
• legal oversight
• independent technical analysis
• sustained engagement with regulatory authorities
For more than a decade the Thyspunt Alliance worked with Cullinan & Associates, one of South Africa’s leading environmental
law firms, to ensure that submissions were legally robust and scientifically credible.

This level of oversight is essential if the process is to remain transparent, fair and evidence based, to do this we require the
financial resources.

What the Thyspunt Alliance Achieved Before
The original Eskom Nuclear-1 Environmental Impact Assessment process ran from 2006 until October 2017, making it one of the
longest and most complex environmental review processes ever undertaken in South Africa.
During this time the Thyspunt Alliance coordinated an extraordinary civil society effort to ensure that the environmental, cultural
and economic implications of the project were properly examined.
This work included:
• Careful review of thousands of pages of Environmental Impact Assessment documentation.
• Demanding that due process be followed.
• Coordination of independent scientific input from specialists across multiple disciplines.
• Detailed legal analysis to ensure compliance with South African environmental legislation.
• Submission of well-structured technical and legal responses throughout the process.
• Mobilising community participation to ensure that local knowledge and concerns were properly represented.

Much of this work was undertaken by experts who generously gave their time and professional expertise, often over many years.
The strength of this effort mattered. In October 2017, the Department of Environmental Affairs approved the Duynefontein site
next to Koeberg as the preferred site for the Nuclear-1 project, not Thyspunt. The extensive evidence submitted by civil society
played an important role in ensuring that the decision-making process was informed by science and law.The Thyspunt Alliance demonstrated that organised, informed and persistent civic participation can make a real difference.

The Thyspunt Alliance Fund
The Thyspunt Alliance Fund NPC was established to ensure that the community has the capacity to participate effectively in the
Environmental Impact Assessment process.
The Fund supports:
• Preparation of legally compliant submissions during the EIA process
• Independent scientific review of technical reports
• Legal opinions and environmental law guidance
• Ensuring decision-makers receive accurate, evidence-based information

Supporting the Thyspunt Alliance Fund helps ensure that:

• independent science informs the debate
• environmental law is properly applied
• community voices are heard
• decisions are made in the long-term public interest

Even modest contributions collectively make it possible to maintain the level of scrutiny that a project of this magnitude requires.

Donate to the Thyspunt Alliance Fund
Your contribution will help ensure that decisions about the future of this coastline are guided by science, law and the long-term
interests of our communities and environment.
The Thyspunt Alliance Fund NPC (2012/099422/08) is an approved Public Benefit Organisation (PBO)
PBO Number: 930088391
Registered in terms of Section 30 of the Income Tax Act.

Bank details:
First National Bank
Thyspunt Alliance Fund NPC
Account number: 62364284093

Auditors:
BDO
106 Park Drive
St Georges
Gqeberha

For more information, please send an email to thyspunt@amaziko.co.za

Trudi Malan
Co Ordinator: Thyspunt Alliance

Cheron Kraak
Chairperson – Thyspunt Alliance Fund

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