A researcher at South Africa’s Sanae IV Antarctic base has accused a colleague of physical assault and made a death threat, prompting concerns for their safety and that of others. The allegations were made in an email sent from the base to the Sunday Times newspaper.
The researcher claimed that they feared for their own life and the lives of colleagues after being physically assaulted by another team member, who also threatened to kill them. The incident occurred over a disputed task that required a schedule change.
South Africa’s environment minister, Dion George, confirmed that an assault had taken place but did not specify what actions he was considering taking. He assured that an intervention is in place and the person responsible has been re-evaluated psychologically.
The base, located 100 miles south of Antarctica’s ice shelf, is part of South Africa’s Antarctic programme. The researcher who made the allegations expressed concerns about safety, citing “numerous concerns” raised by others about the alleged attacker during their time at the base.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/17/antarctic-researcher-accuses-colleague-of-death-threat-and-assault-south-africa