Advancing and enhancing national technical measures for handling and dealing with Illicit trafficking of nuclear material (mainly those that are out of regulatory control) in South Africa.

In view of the international calls by high levels of governments and the IAEA for the strengthening of international nuclear security systems, a nuclear forensics program or unit has been established at the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) in order to assist in advancing and enhancing measures adopted to deal with the illicit trafficking of nuclear material in South Africa as well as in some African continent regions and possibly internationally. Before year 2012 available systems or structures at Necsa were so limited to the extent that they could not handle such material and the associated event trends or patterns effectively thereby creating a gap within the process of dealing with national nuclear security events of international implications by virtue of involving illicit trafficking of nuclear material. However this gap has been closed off by the existence of this nuclear forensics program or unit at Necsa with its services being strategically linked to the major national and some international nuclear regulatory authorities and law enforcement agencies. As a result, the evolution, experiences and the prevailing functional status to the current existing structure and measures of handling and dealing with illicit trafficking of nuclear material in South Africa are described in this paper, in the context of the nuclear industry and regulatory regime (system) in South Africa. Emerging trafficking patterns will also be discussed in this paper, though there are some expectations that they may change as new relevant developments and adjustments needed within the entire functional system are taking place or effected.