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RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSA #2039/01 2811330
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FM AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
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RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
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RUEHDU/AMCONSUL DURBAN 1300
RUEHJO/AMCONSUL JOHANNESBURG 9581

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PRETORIA 002039 
 
DEPT FOR OES/PCI, OES/ENV, AND AF/S 
DEPT PASS EPA/OIA, 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: SENV SOCI ETRD SF
SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICAN ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY MONTHLY 
NEWSLETTER, SEPTEMBER 2009 
 
PRETORIA 00002039  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  This is the South African Environment, Science and 
Technology Monthly Newsletter, September 2009, Volume 4, Number 9, 
prepared by the U.S. Embassy Pretoria, South Africa. 
 
Topics of the newsletter: 
 
 
-- SUMBANDILASAT FINALLY SHOOTS INTO ORBIT 
 
-- HIGH-SPEED DATAT LINK TO BE INSTALLED TO SERVICES SALT 
 
-- WATER POLLUTION POTENTIAL TRHEAT TO FOOD SECURITY IN SOUTH AFRICA 
 
 
-- THE GAUTENG PROVINCE MAY RUN OUT OF WATER BY 2013 
 
-- FISHING INDUSTRY OPERATORS AND ENVIRONMENTAL NOGO PARTNER TO 
PROMOTE 
   SUSTAINABLE FISHING 
 
-- SOUTH AFRICA OPENS A CARBON CAPTURE CENTER 
 
 
-- CAPTIVE-BRED LION BREEDERS LOSE COURT APPEAL 
 
-- UNIVERSITIES PARTNER IN WATER AND ENERGY RESEARCH FOR SOUTH 
AFRICA AND 
   DEVELOPING COUNTRIES 
 
-- MONTHLY FACTOID 
 
--------------------------------------- 
SumbandilaSat Finally Shoots Into Orbit 
--------------------------------------- 
After numerous false starts over several years, the South African 
space satellite Sumbandila was finally launched into orbit on 
September 17, 2009, at 17:55 South African time.  SumbandilaSat was 
launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, on a Russian 
Soyuz rocket.  The 81 kilogram low- earth orbiting micro satellite 
carries a high resolution camera that will produce images for use in 
monitoring agriculture, mapping infrastructure and land use, and 
measuring the water levels of dams.  Data will be streamed to the 
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research's Satellite 
Applications Centre (SAC) at Hartbeeshoek, near Pretoria for 
analysis and policy development purposes.  In addition to the 
camera, the satellite carries a secondary communication payload from 
the Department of Communications and experimental payloads for the 
scientific community in the areas of low frequency radio waves, 
radiation, software defined radio, a forced vibrating string 
experiment and an amateur radio transponder.  The Minister of 
Science and Technology Ms. Naledi Pandor and her Director General 
Dr. Phil Mjwara were in Kazakhstan to witness the launch. 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
High-Speed Data to be Installed to Service SALT 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
High-Speed Data Link to Be Installed to Service SALT.  Vice 
President of the South African National Research Foundation (NRF) 
Mr. Gatsha Mazithulele announced that Telkom and the Department of 
Science and Technology have reached an agreement to install a 90GB 
data link between Cape Town and Sutherland by December 1, 2009. 
Mazithulele said the installation will provide a high-speed link 
between the two locations, which would help scientists send data 
from the South African Large Telescope (SALT) to their counterpart 
researchers abroad.  Previously, South African scientists had to 
burn data onto CDs and then post or courier them to overseas 
destinations because of inadequate bandwidth, a time consuming and 
cumbersome process.  Phil Charles, director of the South African 
Astronomical Observatory, which manages SALT said,  "What we have at 
the moment is less than 1GB of bandwidth between Sutherland and Cape 
Town - that is the bottom end of what an individual could expect 
from an internet service provider," Meanwhile, Mr. Mazithulele said 
the data link would be an interim measure to serve SALT's needs for 
the next three to five years, but would ultimately enable scientists 
to link to the South African Research Network (Sanren), a high-speed 
Qto link to the South African Research Network (Sanren), a high-speed 
network for research traffic.  SALT is regarded as the most powerful 
optical telescope in the southern hemisphere and is expected to be 
fully operational by the end of the year.  A series of technical 
problems have delayed plans to get it up and running for 
international researchers. 
---------------------------------------- 
Water Pollution Potential Threat to Food 
Security in South Africa 
---------------------------------------- 
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research's (CSIR) water 
expert Dr. Paul Oberholster told Transvaal Agricultural Union (TAU) 
conference attendees that South Africa's water resources are 
 
PRETORIA 00002039  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
dangerously under threat from pollution.  According to Oberholster, 
CSIR research has shown that demand for water will outstrip supply 
by 2025, attributing the problem to population increase, economic 
growth and climate change.  TAU's Deputy President Louis Meintjies 
fingered mines as the biggest polluters, but also said that farmers 
were partly to blame since their activities also had an impact on 
the environment.  Meintjies complained that some farmers are using 
polluted water to irrigate crops, and asked, "How do they expect to 
feed South Africa".  He added that "The water system goes through 
South Africa into Mozambique; we give them polluted water" he 
quipped, and cautioned that this had the potential to trigger 
conflict.  Oberhoster emphasized the need to address this 
potentially adversarial situation urgently if food security was to 
be maintained in the country.  He said researchers should look 
beyond dams in addressing the problems, emphasizing the need to 
focus on natural water catchments, opining that treating polluted 
dams only would not solve the problem.  He announced that he was 
establishing a chair of water quality and food security in the CSIR 
to investigate the problems and devise some solutions. 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
The Gauteng Province May Run out of Water by 2013 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
South Africa's economic powerhouse, Gauteng province, is at risk of 
running short of clean water supply by 2013 according to the 
Department of Housing (DOH).  Gauteng municipalities are losing 
approximately R1, 2billion ($160 million) on lost or unaccounted-for 
water.  The problems are also attributed to aging underground 
infrastructure where leaks are not discovered for several months, 
uncollected water bills, dysfunctional meters, substandard building 
materials, etc.  The Department of Water and Environmental Affairs 
and the Development Bank of Southern Africa gathered along with 
delegates from all Gauteng municipalities to discuss ways to monitor 
and implement water conservation and demand management strategies in 
the province.  Gauteng Housing Minister (MEC) Kgaogelo Lekgoro 
encouraged municipalities to participate actively in sustainable 
water management because "it ties in directly with their mandate to 
deliver services to the people of Gauteng".  He also noted that the 
province would lobby for R600million ($80 million) per year for the 
next six years.  The funds would be used for technical skills 
development, retention and infrastructure upgrades. 
 
DOH spokesman Fred Mokoko said that with improved water conservation 
and management systems, the province could cut losses by 15 percent 
by 2013.  He stated that Gauteng spends over R100million 
($13.3million) per annum on water management.  Johannesburg 
municipality uses about 500 million cubic meters of water a year, 
but 30 percent is unaccounted for, translating into a R522million 
($69.6 million) loss.  Deputy Director General of DWEA Dr Sizwe 
Mkhize lamented that eThekwini municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal and 
the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality in Eastern Cape provinces are 
headed in a similar direction.  He said although the Lesotho 
highlands Water Project was being expanded, the province did not 
feel the benefits of the project because of high levels of illegal 
water usage 
 
--------------------------------------------F ishing Industry 
Q-------------------------------------------- Fishing Industry 
Operators and Environmental 
 
NGO Partner to Promote Sustainable Fishing 
-------------------------------------------- 
Major stakeholders in the South African fishing industry have joined 
together to establish what is known as the Responsible Fisheries 
Alliance (RFA).  RFA represents industry operators' and 
environmental NGOs' commitment to sharing solutions to secure the 
future of seafood and marine ecosystems.  Sustainable fisheries 
manager at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Dr. Samantha 
Petersen stated at the launch that the aim of the alliance is to 
ensure that all stakeholders understand and support the 
implementation of an ecosystems approach to fisheries (EAF) 
management. An EAF seeks to protect and enhance the health of marine 
ecosystems on which life and human benefits depend.  RFA will 
promote responsible fishery practice, influence policy on fishery 
governance, promote skills development to enable EAF implementation, 
and facilitate ecological and socio-economical research to inform 
the implementation of an EAF Former president of the IUCN Dr. Valli 
Moosa stated that, "The RFA will facilitate the support of the 
regulatory framework by sharing the responsibility of wisely 
managing our oceans and providing additional resources to further 
the World Summit on Sustainable Development goal of implementing an 
EAF management by 2012."  RFA's key stakeholders include WWF, 
fishing companies Oceana, I&J, Sea Harvest and Viking. 
------------------------------------------ 
South Africa Opens a Carbon Capture Center 
------------------------------------------ 
 
 
PRETORIA 00002039  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
On September 29, South Africa officially launched the South African 
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) center, which will drive research 
and carbon capture processes in the country.  The center is part of 
a plan to capture and store carbon emissions from expected high 
volume emissions in the next decade.  CCS involves capturing carbon 
dioxide from gases produced by fossil fuel combustion, then 
compressing and injecting it into deep geological formations for 
permanent storage.  South Africa is expected to increase its carbon 
dioxide emissions for at least another decade, which makes CCS a 
necessary mitigation measure to keep greenhouse gas emissions under 
control.  Speaking at a carbon capture and storage conference in 
Johannesburg at which the center was launched, Minister of Energy 
Dipuo Peters said, "The world needs to wean itself from fossil fuels 
on to both nuclear and renewable energy.  That process will take 
time and carbon capture and storage is seen as a transitional 
measure".  Minister Peters also stated that the South African 
National Energy Research Institute (SANERI) began a study for a 
carbon geological storage atlas in 2008.  She noted that the atlas 
would be published in 2010 and will help locate potential geological 
carbon storage sites.  World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) South Africa 
Climate Change program manager Richard Worthington raised a concern 
that the advent of carbon capture and storage could sideline efforts 
to develop a renewable energy industry which would have social and 
economic benefits. Meanwhile the center's head Dr. Tony Surridge 
stated that, "We believe that we must put a lot of money into 
renewable energy and energy efficiency. No technology should be left 
off the table". 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
Captive-Bred Lion Breeders Lose Court Appeal 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
The Free State High Court dismissed an application by the South 
African Predator Breeders Association (SAPBA) to appeal a decision 
on captive-bred lions.  The SAPBA took the Minister of Environmental 
Affairs to court in May of 2007 in protest against certain clauses 
of the Threatened or Protected Species regulations which came into 
effect in 2008.  SAPBA objected to the listing of lions as protected 
large predators and the 24 month period in which the captive-bred 
lions had to fend for themselves in the wild before they could be 
hunted.  The association argued that the 24 month self sustaining 
period provision would destroy the industry with negative economic 
and social impacts.  Areas likely to be hard hit could be the Free 
State, Limpopo and the North West provinces where captive-bred lion 
breeding is mostly practiced.  Meanwhile the Environmental Affairs 
department has welcomed the court's decision.  Albi Modise, 
department spokesperson, noted that, "hunting is an important 
industry, but we must manage it in accordance with defensible 
standards."  He said the department has a responsibility to preserve 
the resource base and ensure that the industry has a sustainable 
future. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
Universities Partner in Water and Energy 
Research for South Africa and Developing Countries 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
Three major academic institutions from South Africa, Israel and the 
United States have signed an agreement to conduct joint scientific 
QUnited States have signed an agreement to conduct joint scientific 
studies into water purification and the transformation of algae into 
energy.  The joint research is intended to benefit the people of 
South Africa, Israel and other developing countries of the world. 
Prof. Bheki Mamba said that the University of Johannesburg (UJ), the 
University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and the Ben Gurion 
University (BGU) of Israel will look into how they can contribute to 
the ongoing South African research on water purification in the 
rural areas and the Haartebees dam.  He said they would investigate 
the possibility of harvesting algae from the dam and transforming it 
into energy. Mamba said they would try to address the issue of 
bacteria and viruses in the water, and hope to develop low-cost and 
low maintenance solutions aimed at the rural areas.  Prof. Mamba 
will lead the South African research team, Professors Sammy Boussiba 
and Yoram Oren would lead the Israeli projects, supported by a 
world-renowned expert in water purification and microalgae 
technology Prof. Eric Hoek of UCLA. 
La Lime