By Shaun Smillie
'We're in your world," the Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa's (Necsa) logo proudly states.
But for once we were in Necsa's world, as members of the press were given a rare guided tour of the controversial Pelindaba nuclear facility outside Tshwane on Thursday.
And the heart of Necsa's world is Safari 1, South Africa's oldest nuclear reactor nestled in the Pelindaba nuclear facility, within sight of Hartbeespoort Dam.
Safari 1 is referred to as the "young lady" - strange, considering that she had her 40th birthday in March.
Journalists, environmental activists and trade unionists were given the opportunity to stand on top of the "young lady" and stare into the heart of the reactor, where the radiation would kill a person in a matter of minutes.
But protection is provided by 30 metres of water so pure that it can't conduct electricity.
"The water absorbs the radiation. Even if you fell in, all you would need is to take off your clothes and have a shower, and you would be fine," said Charles Piani, the senior manager for Safari 1.
For anyone who does fall into the water, there are two lifebuoys, each etched with SAS Safari - just as if the reactor was a naval ship.
"They've been there all along. I think the reason for it was because, in the old days, there were so many limeys working on the reactor," joked Piani.
However, just to be careful, anyone who is pregnant is barred from entering the reactor room, despite the fact that the radiation given off by the reactor is apparently less than what one would receive standing outside in the sun.
A gangway can be positioned over the reactor. From it one can feel the slight heat of the reactor on one's face. Deep in the water below is the neon-blue glow of the heart of the reactor.
Past employees have claimed that staring at that blue glow was one of the prettiest sights they had ever witnessed.
The point of Thursday's tour, according to Brenda Madumise, a member of the Necsa board, was for journalists to pass information on nuclear energy to the public.
But while Necsa was willing to show off its Safari 1 reactor, they were much less enthusiastic about revealing other aspects of the facility.
One was the infamous "Radiation Hill" - which nowadays has the more politically correct name of Thabana, meaning "little hill". It was on this site that nuclear waste was buried before 1997.
It was obvious from the start of the tour that a visit to the hill would be unlikely. The site, said senior Pelindaba manager Arie van der Bijl, was not up to international standards when it came to nuclear waste management.
"In 1997 we decided that we should rename the facility. We would like to forget that legacy. It is no longer seen as acceptable to bury waste," Van der Bijl said.
When local resident Bob Brown, the only Pelindaba neighbour on the tour, asked whether Thabana was to be visited, his question was not answered.
Later, when asked again, Van der Bijl said the tour might just drive past it. Apparently the bus did, and it was a journalist who pointed out the nondescript hill, covered in bush with a reservoir on top. Underground pipes ran down the hill, poking out at the bottom.
When asked what the site was, Necsa spokesperson Nomsa Sithole said she had no idea.