A member of a small South African research team stationed at a remote Antarctic base has accused a colleague of assault, prompting fears and calls for intervention, according to officials.
South Africa’s Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), which oversees the base, stated that a “response plan to engage the individuals involved” was “immediately activated.” However, they clarified that they had no plans to return any team members to South Africa.
In a statement provided to CNN in response to the allegations detailed in an email from the research team, the DFFE noted, “The alleged perpetrator has willingly participated in further psychological evaluation, has shown remorse, and is cooperative in following any recommended interventions.”
The department received complaints concerning the alleged assault involving two members of the overwintering team of nine on February 27, and they are also investigating claims of sexual harassment. The identities of those involved have not been disclosed.
The concerns became public after South Africa’s Sunday Times reported on an email from the team, indicating that the accused had allegedly assaulted the team leader and urgently sought assistance. The email described the accused’s behavior as having escalated to a “deeply disturbing” level, with the author expressing fear for their safety and concerns about potentially becoming the next victim. The newspaper did not reveal the names of those involved, and CNN has not independently confirmed the email’s contents.
South Africa is the only African country operating a research station on the continent of Antarctica, which is recognized as the world’s coldest region. The scientific base, SANAE IV, was established in 1960 and typically accommodates a team of scientists for 13 months. The current group was dispatched on February 1.
The DFFE confirmed in its statement that there had been no incidents that warranted the return of any overwintering team members to Cape Town. “If such incidents occurred, the management team would have replaced such a team member immediately,” they stated concerning the assault allegations.
This incident is not the first of its kind involving South African expedition teams. In 2017, an incident at a research base on Marion Island involved a team member allegedly vandalizing a colleague’s laptop with an axe, stemming from a love triangle, as reported by a South African parliamentary monitoring group.
The DFFE explained that personnel participating in its research missions undergo evaluations before expeditions to ensure they can cope with the isolation and collaborate effectively with others in confined spaces. However, the department acknowledged that adjusting to the extreme remoteness of the scientific bases can sometimes be a challenge for individuals once they arrive.
