Debswana installs 10 Scannex machines
Debswana Mining Company is going ahead with plans to install the controversial low dose full body X-ray scanners (Scannex) at its mines. Debswana’s Public Corporate Affairs Manager – Corporate Communications Rachel Mothibatsela told Botswana Guardian this week that the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) completed the public review report on February.
“We are just waiting for them to give us the go ahead,” she said. The technology-ditched by Canada and European Union countries- will be used for searching personnel leaving mining areas at all Debswana operations with the objective of deterring and detecting diamond theft. It is an open secret at Debswana mine that employees, including security officials steal diamonds. Three years ago, the company started using surveillance cameras in toilets used by employees in an effort to foil diamond theft.
Last year, officials at the mine revealed shocking statistics and details of how the precious mineral gets stolen at the mine. A total of 673 stolen diamonds from Debswana mine was recorded between 1988 and 2011. In addition, 98 cases involving illicit dealing in diamonds from 2005 to end of first quarter 2012 were recorded. Senior Security Manager Augustine Nyatanga said 36 percent of diamonds were recovered from employees’ anus and 30 percent between buttocks. Other common places of hiding include mouth, socks, hair, under scrotum and in their clothes. The mine has been using surveillance of personnel at work areas, controlled access and physical search methods.
Two independent reviews (Banks and Kemiso) conducted in 2010 have shown that Debswana mines scored lowest at 44 percent within the group of companies in security. “That was a big embarrassment for us as the largest diamond miner,” said Senior Project Manager Eunice Mpoloka. However, experts fear that exposure to ionising radiation could result in cell death, cell damage, cancer and that prolonged exposure could lead to death. Botswana Mine Workers Union is against the use of Scannex. This publication is in possession of documents from DEA and the University of Botswana experts who were engaged by the Mine Workers Union, which question Debswana’s motives. The DEA questions whether the latest statistics imply a decline in cases of diamond theft. “Does this also suggest the success of the current security measures?” reads a document from the department.
The report from UB experts quotes the Radiation Protection Regulations of 2008. Regulation 37 (5) requires that records of workers be preserved until the worker reaches 75 years, and for not less than 30 years after termination of work involving occupational exposure. “What hardware and software facilities are going to be used to ensure data will be preserved that long?” the report asks. Under “dose limitations” DEA had asked Debswana to stipulate the number of times employees are expected to be exposed to these scans in the different areas of the mine per day “in order to determine the possibility (or lack thereof) of exceeding the limits.” Pregnant women and individuals under the age of 16 are exempted from exposure to the scanner, something that prompted the UB academics to suspect whether indeed the machines are safe or not.
“If the Scannex produces such a low dose which is also regarded as safe, why are certain categories of persons being excluded? Isn’t that proof enough that there remains an uncertainty on safety of ionising radiation?” Debswana has justified the use of Scannex saying the current physical search methods and surveillance of personnel at work areas have proven insufficient. “Since diamonds are portable, and easily concealable, a diamond thief can conceal the stones in body orifices such as: nostrils, ears, mouth, navel, penis (urethra and foreskin) or vagina or the rectum,” reads the draft scoping report under the subhead “rationale for the project.” A total of P42million has been spent on the 10 machines to be installed at the mines. The technology has been used in South Africa and Namibia for more than 20 years.
