President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday assented to the National Nuclear Regulator Amendment Bill, which provides for nuclear safety oversight, ranging from the decontamination of defence facilities to airline pilot safety.

The Amendment Bill amends the National Nuclear Regulator Act of 1999 to align it with current international regulatory best practices as determined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The Amendment Bill also inserts new definitions, amends certain definitions and removes obsolete definitions to align with international best practice

"This alignment is necessary because South Africa is one of the founding members of the IAEA and is a signatory to various international conventions governing nuclear safety, as promulgated by the IAEA. The law gives the National Nuclear Regulator additional functions and provides for the decontamination, decommissioning and closing of national defence force facilities, equipment, machinery and scrap for civilian use," the Presidency said in a statement.

The Bill also empowers the regulator to exercise regulatory oversight over occupational exposure of aircrew to cosmic radiation flying below 49 000 feet.

The Presidency pointed out that the law now empowers the regulator to exercise regulatory oversight to provide nuclear safety assurance that property of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) designated for release for civilian use will not cause radiation harm.

It highlighted that the new law provides for the control and management of the affairs of the regulator, including the term of office the board and the establishment of board committees, and expands the scope of activities which cannot be undertaken without obtaining authorisation from the regulator.

The amended law, is said to also exclude the application of the Defence Act of 2002, which the Presidency said deals with permits for and inspection of naval vessels of a foreign State that are visiting South Africa, with a view to challenge foreign forces disclosing details of naval vessels to host countries.