By Jacques Breytenbach
The Federation for a Sustainable Environment this week handed over a petition to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) demanding the reinstatement of suspended water research scientist, Dr Anthony Turton.
The petition - signed by 1 463 national and international scientists, academics, representatives of non-governmental organisations and various political parties from 27 countries - was handed over to a legal representative of the CSIR this week.
The federation's chief executive Mariette Liefferink said the CSIR had to drop all charges laid against Turton that led to his suspension, unless more substantial reasons were given for their decision.
Turton was suspended in November because the presentation he wanted to deliver at a CSIR conference on South Africa's looming water crisis "was a significant departure" from the paper he based it on.
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The CSIR deemed the presentation to be unsuitable because the "packaging" of the content included graphic pictures of execution by necklacing.
According to the CSIR, this would have portrayed the institution as being insensitive to the victims and audience.
Another reason given by the CSIR for Turton's suspension was that he made "inappropriate statements to the media".
These, according to Liefferink, are not valid enough reasons for Turton's suspension.
Among those who signed the petition were representatives of the ANC; DA; Freedom Front Plus; the South African Municipal Workers Union; the Endangered Wildlife Trust; the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation; the European Organisation for Nuclear Research; the South African Medical Association; as well as the universities of KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State, the Western Cape, Johannesburg and Stellenbosch.
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