Kelvin Kemm

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Kelvin Kemm

Dr Kemm is a nuclear physicist and is the CEO of Nuclear Africa (Pty) Ltd.

Kemm is the chairperson of the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation. He sits on the Board of Advisers of the Committee for A Constructive Tomorrow, based in Washington DC.

He is also a Board Member of GoNuclear Inc, and EFN: USA both based in Colorado, USA.

Exec@nuclearafrica.co.za

Fukushima radiation concerns unfounded

1st May 2015 As the fourth anniversary of the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant has just passed, we can look at radiation and health factors in the light of four years of intensive monitoring and examination of everything that anyone could think of. There are still no deaths or injuries due to... →

Solar developers must pay attention to bird kill problem

24th April 2015 For a long time, I have been saying that, invariably, new technology developments bring with them not only highly tangible benefits, but also, quite frequently, undesirable side effects that are not that tangible at first. I have said that it is the duty of technology developers to look for the... →

Thumbs down to decision to move Rhodes statue at UCT

17th April 2015 I was really disappointed at the University of Cape Town's (UCT's) decision to move the statue of Cecil John Rhodes. I saw the vice chancellor of UCT on TV and, quite frankly, he looked like a scared rabbit. My opinion of him plunged. Where is the pride of UCT, a fine institution with a great... →

Speeding was only a compounding factor in Chabane crash

10th April 2015 Very sadly, a Cabinet Minister and his two bodyguards were killed in a motor car crash in which their car hit a truck on the freeway. Reports state that the truck was doing a U-turn on the freeway and the Minister’s car was travelling at a high speed. In addition, the accident happened in the... →

SA ready to start building nuclear plants

3rd April 2015 The Nuclear Africa 2015 conference has just been successfully concluded. The conference was held in collaboration with the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) and was held at Necsa's Pelindaba site, near Pretoria. The theme of the conference was ‘Collective Effort for... →

How certain forces are shaping our world

27th March 2015 The poem Time it says: Your life is an expression of your mind. You are the creator of your own Universe - For as a human being, you are free to will whatever state of being you desire through the use of your thoughts and words. There has always been a concept that “you are captain of your own... →

Energy use to double in 20 years or sooner

20th March 2015 I read a long article in a newspaper in which some fellow argued that the world essentially had no more sources of energy and that the entire planet would just have to learn to cut back on consumption. The writer was a foreign person. The article had not been written for South African consumption... →

Govt’s nuclear plans hold out hope for massive involvement by locals

13th March 2015 I was invited to give a presentation about nuclear power at St Francis Bay. St Francis Bay falls within the Kouga local municipality, an area encompassing Jeffreys Bay, Oyster Bay, St Francis Bay, Humansdorp and a bit more. This is a large distributed area just south of Port Elizabeth. →

Strike culture leading companies to try less labour-intensive options

6th March 2015 At the yearly Investing in African Mining Indaba conference, in Cape Town, Anglo American Platinum CEO Chris Griffith said that the mnining company's mechanisation drive was in full swing. The company, the largest producer of platinum-group minerals, is getting rid of jobs which require human... →

Thumbs down to street renaming

27th February 2015 There has been considerable debate on whether Cape Town should rename a street after former President FW de Klerk. Many people of note have come out publicity in favour of the intended move. In fact, some African National Congress stalwarts have come out strongly in favour of renaming the street... →

Red overalls an insult to Parliament

20th February 2015 I read that Parliament has instructed a committee to look into a dress code for MPs. I think that this is an excellent move. Obviously, this was precipitated by the wearing of red overalls and maid’s outfits by members of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). In fact, I was under the impression... →

Govt’s PhD aspirations spot-on, but training must take place locally

13th February 2015 I recently read a story in a newspaper entitled 'SA in the grip of a PhD crisis'. There was good and bad in the article. The article stated that South Africa is still falling far short of meeting the National Development Plan’s (NDP’s) goal of producing 5 000 PhD graduates a year, especially in... →

Replacing textbooks with tablets has its own downside

6th February 2015 There has been a big fanfare around the announcement by the Gauteng MEC for Education that the province intending to introduce the use of computer tablets at all secondary schools. I have greeted this news with mixed emotions. Mixed emotions are watching your mother-in-law drive over a cliff in... →

We need rational debate on nuclear

30th January 2015 When making high-powered science and technology decisions, it is necessary to involve science and technology professionals. It really is. It is necessary to listen to the opinions of science and technology professionals. It really is. Do readers detect a note of sarcasm? These days, there are... →

Failing matric not the end of the world

23rd January 2015 The 2014 matric results came out and the pass rate was a couple of percentage points lower than the previous year. That is fine. It is an acceptable number and gives one confidence in the system. A year ago, when there was such euphoria at a significant increase in the pass rate, I warned that... →

Matric not the be-all and end-all

16th January 2015 Every year, there is a major hype about matric results and this is taken as a measure of the educational health of the country. This is wrong. Matric supplies only one aspect of the workforce of the nation. Just before Christmas, I was invited to visit a factory for its Christmas party. I was... →

Ill-informed antinuclear stance

12th December 2014 A really interesting social phenomenon is the antinuclear stance of many people. I find many people who are rabidly antinuclear, but then, as I chat to them socially, I find out that they have no idea what they are talking about. They often cannot tell the difference between an atom and a... →

Aussie PM right on climate change

5th December 2014 Congratulations to Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who has warned that next year’s climate change summit, to be held in Paris, will fail if world leaders put cutting carbon emissions ahead of economic growth. Abbott’s position is in stark contrast to that of most of the other G20 leaders.... →

Bafana coach spot-on on ‘choosy’ player

28th November 2014 National senior soccre team coach Ephraim 'Shakes' Mashaba was quite correct in giving May Mahlangu the chop when the player announced that he was not available to play for Bafana Bafana in recent Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. So, from me, go for it, Shakes – keep it up. I was driving when I... →

We need to popularise science

21st November 2014 A phenomenon which I have mentioned before and which continues to worry me is the popularisation of science. I have been involved in this for years. Some years ago, I made the largest South African TV series on local science achievements. It was aired on SABC and we had half an hour a week for... →

Eastern Cape must go full out into the nuclear business now

14th November 2014 I am in Port Elizabeth, presenting a nuclear quality assurance course. It is a course based on the ASME Code III, which is the nuclear fabrication code. ASME is an international organisation, based in New York, in the US. Its stamp of approval is accepted worldwide, so it is a very useful code... →

Localisation, African collaboration way to go

7th November 2014 I was invited to the launch function of a new shunting locomotive built by Grinrod Rail, in Pretoria. The loco is the GS7 and looks really neat. I got into the cab and looked at everything I could. →

No, no – automakers are not being taken for a ride by components suppliers

31st October 2014 I have seen news reports that the Competition Commission has launched an investigation into elements of the automotive industry relating to the supply of components to original-equipment manufacturers (OEMs). My immediate reaction a sense of unease. I suspect that the Competition Commission in... →

We need to do more than catching the crooks who grab copper cable

24th October 2014 There have been several copper cable theft incidents all over the country that have caused massive collateral damage. The collateral damage is often extensive. Over and above the cost of replacing the stolen cable is the massive cost of an area being out of power for hours or days. We have had... →

Exciting time for science as rover completes two years on Mars

17th October 2014 The Mars rover, Curiosity, has just completed two years on the surface of that planet. All is going well. The very fancy device has found water in the sand that was thought to be dry. In fact, about 1 l of water for about 30 l of sand, so there is a lot. →

The nuclear press release that produced a roller coaster

10th October 2014 There was a big fuss in the media when a story came out that South Africa had signed a deal with the Russians to buy eight nuclear reactors. The story was not true. When I saw the first press release I felt uneasy because it just did not look right. →

Space mission heading for nail-biting comet landing

3rd October 2014 The Rosetta space mission of the European Space Agency is heading for a terrific show in November. The Rosetta mission is an attempt to land a space probe on a comet, in outer space. →

PE ideally placed for nuclear manufacture

26th September 2014 I went to Port Elizabeth for a couple of days. I had received various requests to travel to the coastal city. So, accompanied by my project coordinator, I went. →

The negative impact of renaming streets

19th September 2014 The obsession that some people have with the renaming of places, streets and institutions is one of the most unreasonable sets of actions to have come out of post-1994 South Africa. Who are the people doing this? If one has a look, it is only some politicians. →

Stiffer punishment needed to stop theft

12th September 2014 Recently, a number of people around me have been the victims of robberies. These incidents are irritating, not only because of the value of the items stolen, but also because of the amount of subsequent work required to replace them and to mend the damage caused by the thieves. →

Mooted tax on sugar-sweetened beverages an insult to science

5th September 2014 I read about a proposal to tax sugar-sweetened beverages in an attempt to reduce obesity and I also watched a TV debate on the issue. This is one of the most misguided and totally unprofessional proposals that I have ever seen. I am being harsh but, believe me, I am highly irritated. The stated... →

Nasa taking space travel to another level

29th August 2014 The US's National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) has rightfully achieved a major place in the history books. Nasa took humans to the moon, created the International Space Station and built the Space Shuttle fleet, besides many other achievements. →

Acquiring problem solving skills will help learners master maths

22nd August 2014 There has been quite a fuss in the press of late about maths and science teaching in schools. A study carried out by researchers showed the maths pass rates to be poor. What's more, it revealed that the pass rates at more senior levels were worse than at more junior levels. →

New forum to aid collaboration among nuclear designers

15th August 2014 In July, a Nuclear Designers Forum was launched. This proposal was initially formulated by the company Resonant Nuclear, of Centurion. The company discussed the idea with Nuclear Africa and, together, we have started the Nuclear Designers Forum. It is a Web-based interactive system. I will... →

SA has the opportunity to be a nuclear supplier to the world

8th August 2014 In her Budget Vote speech, Energy Minister Tina Joematt-Pettersson confirmed that nuclear power is a central feature in our future energy mix. She also pointed out that South Africa had a track record in running a nuclear programme. →

Some claims about renewable energy tend to be wild

1st August 2014 It is amazing just how much incorrect information about energy is spread in public, and the public just seems to believe it. Even worse are the journalists who write this stuff – do they really believe it or are they writing and giggling with glee at how many readers will be conned? →

African conditions need African solutions

25th July 2014 A while ago, I was at a function, talking to a group of people, when I made the comment that what we need is African solutions for African conditions. The one fellow groaned and said: "Oh, no, not that again." I then realised that he had totally misinterpreted what I had meant. Well, maybe I... →

Plastics ban plan misses the point

18th July 2014 I read in a newspaper that a particular day in July was International Plastic Bag Free Day. Nooo, it does not mean that, on that day, you received free plastic bags. It means that, on that day, you are supposed to not use plastic shopping bags at all. In fact, the article I read appealed to... →

Malawi utility seeks bids for automated meter reading system

11th July 2014 The State-owned Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) has invited bids from eligible bidders for the supply, installation and commissioning of an automated meter reading system, including the meters. The project will be financed by the World Bank’s International Development Association... →

Nuclear is good by itself, doesn’t need CO2 reduction prop

11th July 2014 I was invited to attend the Atomexpo 2014 nuclear power exhibition and expo in Moscow. I was invited as a guest of State-owned nuclear company Rosatom. →

Despite huge upfront cost, nuclear is a good option for South Africa

4th July 2014 Nuclear power has been very much in the news lately. President Zuma mentioned nuclear power in the State of the Nation Address and said that South Africa needs to move on nuclear. The new Minister of Energy Tina Joemat-Petterson later also mentioned the need for nuclear. As I have said more than... →

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