South Africa’s annual release of matric results is a moment of national celebration and reflection. It celebrates the resilience of young people while revealing the future skills and capabilities the country will rely on in the decades ahead. For South Africa, one of those critical capability areas is nuclear science and technology.
A Global Skills Gap with Local Implications
Around the world, countries revisiting their nuclear strategies are confronting a skills shortage. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has noted that up to 40% of the global nuclear workforce is expected to retire within the next decade. At the same time, interest in advanced reactor development, medical isotope production, and decommissioning has increased significantly.
Simultaneously, geopolitical and climate considerations are accelerating global nuclear buildouts. As of early 2026, over 60 new reactors are under construction, more than 100 are in advanced planning, and more than 300 small modular reactors (SMRs) are under design or licensing consideration. Nuclear medicine and industrial applications continue to expand, especially in oncology, diagnostics, mining, agriculture and materials research.
South Africa is not immune to these shifts. Our nuclear ecosystem is multi-disciplinary, spanning energy, medicine, research, safety, regulation and waste management. Yet it depends on STEM competence, mathematics, physical sciences, engineering, environmental science and data analytics, areas where throughput remains limited. The STEM pipeline remains one of South Africa’s most strategic constraints. The Department of Basic Education (DBE) data consistently shows that only a small segment of matriculants achieve the science and mathematics marks required for engineering degrees, with even fewer progressing into nuclear science and related fields. Strengthening this pipeline is essential for national energy security and the long-term stewardship of radioactive waste.
Why Radioactive Waste Management Matters
One of the least recognised yet most strategic parts of the nuclear value chain is radioactive waste management. Unlike commodity-driven industries, waste management follows long-term regulated mandates. It is designed, licensed and monitored over decades, making it one of the most durable scientific career paths in the nuclear sector.
It also draws on geology, seismology, radiochemistry, radiation protection, engineering, data science, logistics, regulatory affairs and environmental stewardship. Talent in these areas is transferable, globally mobile and aligned with intergenerational responsibility.
South Africa’s Long-Term Projects
NRWDI’s mandate is tied to South Africa’s nuclear ecosystem: we manage radioactive waste generated by Eskom’s Koeberg Nuclear Power Station, Necsa and other producers, including spent fuel that will move from on-site storage to national interim storage and ultimately permanent disposal.
Two long-horizon projects anchor this system. The Centralised Interim Storage Facility (CISF) is expected to receive spent fuel from Koeberg by 2030, while the future Deep Geological Repository (DGR) is anticipated to provide the permanent disposal solution around 2065. These timelines illustrate the scientific complexity and generational continuity of radioactive waste management. Decisions made today shape operations, regulation and safety for generations to come.
Such projects cannot be resourced reactively. These projects require multidisciplinary talent pipelines, long-term research, and collaboration across nuclear science, engineering, geoscience, environmental science and regulation. Capability must be built and sustained over decades through partnerships with universities, research bodies and global agencies.
South Africa faces a geographic skills paradox: NRWDI’s Vaalputs Nuclear Waste Disposal Facility is located about 110 kilometres outside Springbok, away from metropolitan centres where STEM graduates are concentrated. Developing local talent pipelines is, therefore, both a challenge and an opportunity.
Ensuring that young people around Vaalputs become future geoscientists, engineers, seismologists, radiation specialists and environmental scientists should be a national priority. This will require targeted investment, bursaries, STEM promotion and improved education throughput from matric into STEM pathways.
Localisation is not just economic; it strengthens social licence, supports institutional capability and ensures continuity in one of the country’s most long-lived scientific mandates.
From Matric to Strategic Capability: The STEM Imperative
The matric results remind us that STEM capability is a national competitiveness issue. Countries expanding nuclear programmes simultaneously invest in STEM ecosystems. For South Africa, this intersects with capability coordination across government departments and state-owned entities in the energy sector, as well as higher education institutions.
It also aligns with the National Skills Strategy, which identifies scientific, engineering and technical fields as scarce and critical skills for industrialisation and the energy transition.
Opportunities for Young People
For young people, the nuclear sector offers careers that are scientifically stimulating, globally relevant and purpose-driven. Unlike many fields vulnerable to automation or retrenchment, radioactive waste management offers continuity and longevity.
International training through the IAEA, national bursaries and industry partnerships provide pathways for students with strong mathematics and science aptitude. NRWDI is assessing how future bursary support, partnerships and training can align to practical CISF and DGR project requirements.
A Call to Build Capabilities That Endure
To secure South Africa’s nuclear future, three alignments are required:
- Educational Alignment: stronger STEM throughput and technical training.
- Industry Alignment: cooperation across nuclear entities, regulators, utilities and universities.
- National Capability Alignment: ensuring long-term projects are supported by long-term talent pipelines.
Nuclear capability cannot be built in a single budget cycle. It must be cultivated deliberately, benchmarked internationally and stewarded responsibly.
As the country reflects on the achievements of the matric class of 2025, we should ask not only how many learners passed mathematics and science, but what kind of scientific nation we intend to become. The question is no longer whether South Africa needs nuclear skills. The question is whether we will produce enough of them — in time — to secure our future.
About:
NRWDI CEO
Riedewaan Bakardien is Chief Executive Officer of the National Radioactive Waste Disposal Institute (NRWDI) and has three decades of experience across nuclear operations, new build development and radioactive waste management.
What is NRWDI:
The National Radioactive Waste Disposal Institute (NRWDI) is South Africa’s mandated entity for radioactive waste management and disposal. It operates the Vaalputs National Nuclear Waste Disposal Facility for low- and intermediate-level waste (LILW) and is responsible for the future CISF and DGR, ensuring safe, long-term waste management in line with national and international standards.
What is a Centralised Interim Storage Facility (CISF):
A national facility designed to safely and securely store radioactive waste temporarily until a permanent disposal solution is implemented. CISFs are engineered for safety, monitoring, logistics and regulatory oversight.
What is a Deep Geological Repository (DGR):
A permanent disposal solution that places waste deep underground in stable geological formations. DGRs are internationally regarded as the safest long-term option and require specialised earth science capabilities, advanced environmental assessments and multi-decade monitoring systems.