The name is correctly indicated above, although the sequence of letters in the acronym may be taken as suggesting that the name should be the "Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa".

[3] In 1957, South Africa and the United States signed an agreement to procure a research reactor.

[8] Apart from several ancillary functions, the main functions of Necsa are to undertake and promote research and development in the field of nuclear energy and related technologies; to process and store nuclear material and other restricted material; and to co-ordinate with other organisations in matters falling within these spheres.

Necsa has two subsidiaries, which are NTP Radioisotopes SOC is a company that serves the international markets for radiation-based technology and products such as nuclear medicine for diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Necsa employs some 1,700 people in diverse areas such as nuclear physicists, engineering, chemistry and electronics.

With changes in the country's positioning on nuclear involvement and South Africa's re-entry into world markets in 1990, a decision was taken to focus the organisation on commercially driven projects.