Ms Bessie Makgopa

Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) alternate representative

Ms Makgopa is the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) alternate representative member on the Necsa Board. She is a Director of Nuclear Technology at the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, in her current role she oversees nuclear technology development, nuclear fuel cycle related activities, the operations of existing nuclear power plants and the implementation of the nuclear power programme. Prior to this, she served in the position of Deputy Director Nuclear Safety at the Department of Energy responsible for implementation of obligations under the Convention on Nuclear Safety and the Joint Convention on Safety of Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste Management. She worked at the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation as Reactor Scientist responsible for reactor criticality, shielding and activation modelling using different codes including the MCNP, Keno, Scale and FISPACT.  She represents South Africa at the Generation IV International Forum as a Policy Group member and is a contact point for the International Atomic Energy Agency Innovative Project on Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles.

She graduated cum laude with a Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering at the University of the North West, Potchefstroom, South Africa. She further holds the following qualifications: BSc. Honours Environmental Management, BSc. Honours in Physics and BSc Physical Sciences.