In the past there was also a military component, and South Africa previously possessed nuclear weapons, which were subsequently dismantled.
In the post-apartheid period, South Africa agreed to cooperate closely with the Russian state nuclear power company Rosatom on the development of new nuclear power plants in South Africa.
The plant is owned and operated by the country's national electricity supplier, Eskom.
[2] The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA) was established as a public company by the Republic of South Africa Nuclear Energy Act in 1999 and is wholly owned by the State.
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.