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English: Radioactive waste in South Africa is generated through the nuclear fuel cycle and the application of radioactive materials in industry, science and medicine. The radioactive waste is presently disposed at Vaalputs in Bushmanland and Thabana at Pelindaba in near-surface disposal facilities. No strategy exists at present for the disposal of high level waste. The objective of radioactive waste management and its underlying principles is to ensure that human health and the environment are protected at all times, without imposing an undue burden on future generations. This implies that, before any long-term management strategy of radioactive waste disposal can be implemented, the impact of the disposed waste must be determined as a function of time-a procedure referred to as post-closure safety assessment. In this thesis, a methodology to perform post-closure safety assessments of radioactive waste disposal systems in South Africa and other parts of Africa is described. Not only will it contribute significantly to reassess the suitability of current waste disposal practices, but also lays the foundation for future disposal practices. The proposed methodology-an integrated approach to radioactive waste management-is aimed at: (a) ensuring the safety of the present public and future generations, (b) enhancing the public acceptance of the methodology, (c) keeping the expenditure associated with the implementation of the methodology at a minimum. The methodology recognises the interdependence between operational phase activities and the post-closure behaviour of the disposal system. It is an iterative process that considers site-specific, prospective evaluations of the post-closure phase to ensure that the disposal system will comply with internationally accepted criteria, within reasonable limits. Provision is therefore made to identify the data, design and other needs that will contribute towards the achievement of this objective. The first step in this procedure, Afrikaans: In Suid Afrika word radioaktiewe afval gegenereer deur die kernbrandstofsiklus en die gebruik van radioaktiewe bronne in die industrie, die wetenskap en geneeskunde. Lae en middel energie radioaktiewe afval word tans weggedoen in oppervlak wegdoeningsfasiliteite by Vaalputs in die Boesmanland en geberg in vlak bergingsfasiliteite by Thabana by Pelindaba. Geen strategie bestaan egter tans vir die wegdoening van hoë energie afval nie. Die doel van radioaktiewe afvalbestuur en die onderliggende beginsels daarvan, is om te verseker dat die mens se gesondheid asook die omgewing te alle tye beskerm word, sonder om onnodige druk op toekomstige geslagte te plaas. Dit impliseer dat, alvorens enige langtermyn bestuurstrategie vir radioaktiewe afval geïmplementeer kan word, moet die impak van die gebergde afval as 'n funksie van tyd bepaal word-'n prosedure waarna verwys word as 'n nasluiting veiligheidsvasstelling (post-closure safety assessment). 'n Metodiek om so 'n nasluiting veiligheidsvasstelling vir radioaktiewe afval wegdoeningsisteme in Suid Afrika en ander dele van Afrika uit te voer, word in hierdie proefskrif beskryf. Nie alleen bied dit 'n beduidende bydrae tot die herevaluering van bestaande wegdoeningsisteme nie, maar verskaf dit ook 'n basis vir toekomstige wegdoeningspraktyke wêreldwyd. Die voorgestelde metodiek-'n geïntegreerde benadering tot radioaktiewe afvalbestuurhet ten doelom: (a) die veiligheid van huidige en toekomstige geslagte te verseker, (b) publieke aanvaarding van die metodiek te bevorder, (c) finansiële uitgawes geassosieer met die implementering van die metodiek te minimeer. Die metodiek aanvaar die interafhanklikheid wat daar bestaan tussen aktiwiteite binne die operasionale fase en die nasluitingsgedrag van die sisteem. Dit is 'n iteratiewe proses wat bestaan uit terrein spesifieke, toekomstige evaluasies van die nasluiting fase, met die doel om te verseker dat die wegdoeningsisteem voldoen aan internasionaal aanvaarbare kriteria, Atomic Energy Corporation of South Africa (Ltd.)