‘Life is tough in Antarctica. You can't predict how people will react when there's no life for miles'

Telegraph

20-03-2025

'The Antarctic is often romanticised, but when people realise what's waiting for them… well, there's not a lot of people who feel they're up to it,' says South African geologist Dr Herman Van Niekerk. 'I've taken students out there and some of them just can't handle the isolation, the extreme and frightening weather conditions, the perspective you lose when you can't judge distances in the whiteness. As South Africans we're not used to that weather – I took out a student from the Limpopo Province three months ago who had never even seen snow before. We do conduct psychometric tests on expedition members before heading out there. But you just can't predict how that will affect people in reality when there's no life for miles.'
The 53-year-old senior lecturer from the University of Johannesburg has meltdowns on his mind because he only just returned from leading a two-month research trip to the Antarctic base SANAE IV, where, this week, members of a nine-strong team (set to overwinter there until December) have allegedly been pleading for rescue following claims that one of them has sexually harassed a colleague and threatened to kill another.
It's a terrifying situation – described as a 'real-life horror movie' by some members of the press – for a group of people completely isolated on the 1997-built structure, in the icy gloom of the polar winter, 2,500 miles from South Africa's closest coast.
In an email sent last week and seen by The Sunday Times, a team member described a colleague's descent into some 'deeply disturbing' behaviour, which had created 'an environment of fear and intimidation. I remain deeply concerned about my own safety, constantly wondering if I might become the next victim.'
Dion George, South Africa's environment minister, confirmed that a team member did assault SANAE IV's team leader. Although the individual responsible for the assault has reportedly since written an apology and the South African government claims the situation is under control, it must be worrying for the other eight team members.
Speaking from the comfort of his home in Johannesburg, Van Nierkerk says that the team at SANAE IV aren't really prepared to deal with violence. 'There's a doctor, mechanics and members of the South African National Space Agency. But there is nobody in charge of security, no firearms or anything like that.'
So in the event of an individual running amok, they'd have to group together to restrain that person? 'Yes, yes, I suppose so.'
He reminds me that Antarctica doesn't have four seasons, but two. Winter begins in March, plunging the base into almost ten months of darkness, with outside temperatures averaging -23C and winds reaching up to 135mph. 'When there's no daylight,' says Van Niekerk, 'you worry about people getting onto a different time cycle, with some people awake while everybody else is sleeping. It's an extremely difficult environment.'
Van Niekerk has been taking teams of students out to camp in British-made tents outside of SANAE IV for the past three Antarctic summers. He says there has usually been a good atmosphere inside the base, which comprises three blocks, each with two storeys. Block A houses laboratories, accommodation, a hospital, some storage space. Block C has 'all the things that keep the base alive: generators, water storage and purification, workshops. The hangers for the helicopters are connected to that too.' He says most socialising occurs in the central Block B where there is more accommodation, a kitchen and entertainment areas. 'There is a bar, a games room and a place where you can watch movies…'
Are there rules on drinking and sexual relationships between colleagues? Van Niekerk says there's a list of general rules on the wall of the dining room. He thinks that includes guidelines on alcohol and points out that resources are limited – 'you take what you need and have to make it last the whole season'. When it comes to romance he says 'it's spoken about and it's frowned upon. But,' he laughs, 'these are people and you can't predict what's going to happen. Relationships do start down there. I know of people who were down there in 2016-17: they met there and got married and they've got two kids now. '
When it comes to picking his own teams for Antarctic expeditions Van Niekerk admits: 'It might sound a bit creepy but I try to get to know them all months in advance. I try to involve myself in every aspect of their lives. I look at where they are, what they're doing, how often do they do things? I need to see who this person is before we commit.'
Even after paying close attention to candidates, he says he can pick the wrong students 'because people only reveal who they are when they're exposed to the extreme conditions'. On this last trip, he says, a student freaked out and he simply refused to leave the tent. 'We were camped about 200km from SANAE IV and we had to get him to the nearest, Norwegian, base about 100km away.'
But Van Niekerk also believes that part of the value of SANAE IV comes from revealing how humans cope under the region's extreme conditions. There's learning to be gained even from the moments when team members crack up. 'We are training people to work in extreme environments,' he says. 'We're thinking about the future of space travel and humans working on different planets. At Antarctic we are gaining experience, taking society forward.'
He says that the station is also conducting important research into climate change and that this summer the scientists witnessed 'a lot of melting, streams, waterfalls'. While he says climate change 'has happened and will happen' regardless of human activity, the 'pristine environment' allows researchers to measure the impact we're having. So it's possible that existential fears for the future of the planet have affected team mindsets.
As a husband and father of two daughters (now both at university), Van Niekerk says he's had his own moments of fear in Antarctica. 'Mostly when I'm out on snowmobiles. That's unsettling because you can't see the crevasses. The storms also come in very fast, even in the winter. There are a lot of unknowns.' He misses his family and they worry about him during his two-month absences 'especially because they're over the festive season'. But he says it helps that internet connections are very good on SANAE so he's always been able to stay in touch.
Van Niekerk says he 'speaks to the people I know on SANAE quite often' and none of them have mentioned the drama making headlines around the world to him. 'People can take things out of context. Or blow up the whole story,' he says. 'But the South African Antarctic programme started in 1959 and this is their 64th expedition. I know the people in charge are highly capable. There's a lot of experience when it comes to running these things so I am pretty sure they are on top of it.'
But if things do continue to go awry, does Van Niekerk think the team could be rescued? He sucks in air. 'That would be very difficult. It takes 10-14 days by boat and then a helicopter ride – weather permitting – for us in the summer.' And in the winter? 'It would be… difficult. I don't think we'll see those people again until December.'