Scientists‚ locals collide over SKA in Northern Cape: report

23 June 2016 - 15:25 By Bruce Gorton

Farmers in the Northern Cape are at loggerheads with the international Square Kilometre Array‚ according to a report in a respected science journal. Nature reported that the Northern Cape is planned to include 197 dishes‚ forming part of the project’s first phase.The 64-dish MeerKAT telescope is already being built‚ while the rest will be added from 2018.While it has made good on some of its promises‚ for example hiring a maths and science teacher in Carnarvon in the Northern Cape‚ and boosting the local economy‚ it hasn’t been the huge help that locals expected.“You must understand‚ we are not the government‚ the education department and the police‚ all rolled into one‚” its director‚ Rob Adam told community members at a meeting in May.A second issue is that local farmers are worried that the SKA will require more land to complete construction.The Astronomy Geographic Advantage Act gives the government the right to acquire land for the project in a "core" area if negotiations fail – if the organisation has offered a fair price.The SKA is now looking at buying 36 farms‚ 118‚000 hectares — to accommodate the further 133 dishes that make up SKA1.The farmers are arguing this will destroy the local economy‚ and that they’re being forced to sell. However‚ SKA officials say they would rather not go that route.“It’s not in the best interests of the SKA to do that because we have to live in this community‚” says Alice Pienaar-Marais‚ who is in charge of the land acquisition process...

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