Shareholder activist group Just Share has accused the SA government of being lenient towards the country’s biggest polluters, Sasol and Eskom.
The lobby group accuses government of prioritising the “interests of fossil fuel giants over the health and wellbeing of its citizens”.
According to the group, the government’s recent decision to retain the basic tax-free allowance at 60% until at least 2030 is a significant backtrack from previous proposals, which aimed to reduce this allowance to incentivise decarbonisation. The group says it is a major victory for Sasol, the country’s largest coal-to-liquids producer.
Just Share also called the government's decision to allow Sasol's Secunda plant to measure its emissions differently “unfortunate”.
In April, Sasol successfully appealed to have its emissions measured differently at the Secunda plant, which is considered the world's largest single-point emitter of greenhouse gas.
Secunda, home to Sasol’s coal-to-liquids facility, is the backbone of SA’s energy sector, producing 52% of the country’s liquid fuels. This vital facility powers vehicles and industries across the nation.
Beyond fuels, Secunda is also a significant producer of essential chemicals which serve as building blocks for a range of products. These include the manufacturing of plastics found in motor vehicle components, household goods and infrastructure.
In 2023, the national air quality officer rejected Sasol’s request to have sulphur dioxide emissions from its Secunda boiler plant measured differently, putting the petrochemical giant at risk of violating the country’s air quality laws and facing legal consequences.
Environment minister Barbara Creecy upheld Sasol’s appeal, allowing the energy and chemical group to switch to measuring its emissions on load of emission rather than the concentration of particles.
Furthermore, Just Share highlighted Eskom had also been given air pollution indulgences including further postponement of minimum emissions standards (MES) compliance for three power stations and suspension of compliance for five power stations.
Eskom received a five-year postponement for compliance with certain pollutants at three stations — Grootvlei, Arnot and Komati. This allows these stations to delay meeting the stricter emission standards until a later date.
Compliance was suspended for five stations — Hendrina, Camden, Kriel, Acacia and Port Rex — which are scheduled to shut down by 2030. This means these stations do not have to meet the MES until they are decommissioned.
“The government’s failure to regulate pollution from fossil fuel companies is having devastating consequences for the health and wellbeing of South Africans,” said the activist group. “It’s time for the government to take action and hold polluters accountable.”
Just Share’s comments come as the organisation prepares to release a report highlighting the extent to which “anti-climate corporate lobbying has undermined SA’s climate response for over a decade”.
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