BY MBONO MDLULI
LOBAMBA – Senators have given a green light to the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Bill of 2024.
The passing of this Bill comes with a benefit of a grant of E45 million which the country will get from the International Atomic Energy Agency, which will help educate Emaswati on radiation safety. This means that Eswatini will not have to pay back this money, as it will be a grant.
Senators have expressed joy at the fact that the legislation was finally tabled before them by Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs Jane Mkhonta-Simelane. The legislators said the Bill had been long overdue and wanted to know why it had taken a long time to be tabled before them.
The senators were reacting to a motivation done by the minister, who wanted the senators to debate and adopt a report on the Bill. This would be done so that the Bill could be referred to the Senate Portfolio Committee of the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs.
Motivating the lawmakers to adopt the Bill, Mkhonta-Simelane said the adoption and the ultimate passing of this Bill to be an Act of Parliament would be a step in the right direction for Eswatini. The minister said the country had committed itself to follow the international radiation safety standards, as it had become part of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The minister said lately, Eswatini had been used by this agency as the focal point to protect people from nuclear and radiation dangers. She said there were possibilities of schools and clinics being built, as they could be used for educational and health purposes on matters that have to do with nuclear and radiation safety.
Mkhonta-Simelane said a regulatory institution was going to be established to monitor if materials imported into the country were going to meet the radiation safety standards. The minister mentioned that many Ministries were going to be included especially in this regulatory institution, as they were also affected. She said Ministries such as Health, ICT, Natural Resources, Foreign Affairs, Attorney General’s Office, and Ministry of Agriculture would also be roped in.
The minister pleaded for mercy from the senators for the delay in the tabling of the Bill, stating that the reason was that they had engaged in extensive consultations, as many other NGOs were involved. The minister emphasised that the Bill was about the health and safety of Emaswati. It had nothing to do with wars.
The senators were happy with the submission made by the minister. Deputy Senate President Ndumiso Mdluli, Senator Stukie Motsa, and Senator Isaac Magagula made submissions on the Bill. They stated that the Bill had to be passed instantly to ensure the safety of Emaswati. They also called upon the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to be included because the materials were administered by workers, who also had to be safe from the potential dangers posed by such materials.
