SA is one of the most polluted countries in the world, ranking 116th out of 180 in the 2022 environment performance index — a policy tool that provides a data-driven summary of the state of sustainability around the world, tracking indicators in categories such as air quality and biodiversity.
The main culprit is the coal-fired power plants that generate most of the country’s electricity, as well as the mining smelting and refining industries that dot the landscape.
These activities emit a large amount of sulphur dioxide and other pollutants that harm human health and the environment. According to a 2019 study by Greenpeace, air pollution causes 13,000 premature deaths in SA every year.
One of the worst affected areas is the highveld priority area (HPA), which covers heavily polluted towns in the country, including eMalahleni, Middelburg, Secunda, Standerton, Edenvale, Boksburg and Benoni. It is home to 12 of Eskom’s coal-fired power stations and Sasol’s coal-to-liquid fuels refinery, situated in Secunda, all supplied by numerous coal mining operations. About 12-million people call the area their home.
The HPA was declared a priority area for air quality management in 2007, due to its high levels of ambient air pollution that exceed national and international standards. The government adopted an air-quality management plan for the HPA in 2012, known as the Highveld Plan, which set out various measures to reduce emissions and improve air quality in the area.
However, more than a decade later, little progress has been made in implementing and enforcing the plan, and the air quality remains poor and dangerous, prompting environmental groups to launch a court challenge in 2019. A landmark court judgment in March 2022 confirmed that the poor-quality air in the HPA violates citizens’ constitutional right to a healthy environment.
“It is commonly accepted that the air pollution in the HPA is responsible for premature deaths, decreased lung function, deterioration of the lungs and heart, and the development of diseases such as asthma, emphysema, bronchitis, tuberculosis and cancer,” Colleen Collins wrote in the judgment. “It is also acknowledged that children and the elderly, especially with existing conditions such as asthma, are particularly vulnerable to the high concentrations of air pollution in the HPA.”
One of the biggest culprits is Sasol, which runs the world’s largest coal-to-liquids plant in Secunda. The process is energy-intensive and emits large amounts of polluting sulphur dioxide.
Sasol has until April 2025 to comply with the minimum emission standards, which were introduced in 2010 and revised several times since 2017. But Sasol cannot meet the concentration-based limit for sulphur dioxide emissions and has asked to use an alternative measurement method based on mass and rate of emission. That measurement would let it spew out more sulphur dioxide than the law allows.
Thankfully, the national air quality officer, who oversees the enforcement of the Air Quality Act, dismissed Sasol’s request as unlawful and unjustified. He was backed by activist investor Just Share, which argued that Sasol’s request was a technical loophole to evade compliance.
Sasol is planning to appeal to Barbara Creecy, the minister of forestry, fisheries & the environment, for a fresh review of the air quality officer’s decision. But this is unlikely to succeed. Creecy has shown herself to be a champion of environmental justice and has supported the court ruling on the highveld’s deadly air.
Sasol would do better to focus on finding cleaner ways to produce energy and fuels. This would not only improve the health and wellbeing of the highveld people but also the long-term prospects of Sasol itself.
Sure, the company says it has spent about R7bn in reducing air pollution in the past seven years and it has achieved 98% compliance with the minimum emission standards. But this is not enough. The standards are already too weak compared with international benchmarks. SA’s sulphur dioxide limit is 28 times more lax than China’s and 10 times weaker than India’s.
Sasol, whose Secunda plant is the largest single emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, aims to cut its emissions by 30% by 2028 and to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 as part of its decarbonisation strategy. But this is doubtful. In April, Old Mutual, a shareholder in Sasol, rightly questioned the company’s vague energy transition plans.
The company’s targets are not backed by a clear and credible plan. It has not explained how it will achieve these goals, what technologies it will use, what investments it will make, and what risks it will face.
Old Mutual is not the first shareholder to demand more climate action from Sasol, and it won’t be the last. Sasol’s dependence on coal exposes it to financial and reputational risks that could erode its profitability and viability in the long run.
Some might argue that Sasol’s Secunda plant is vital for the economy and energy security of SA. They might point out that Sasol produces about 30% of SA’s liquid fuels and employs about 30,000 people directly and indirectly.
Be that as it may, Sasol has a choice: it can either continue to pollute our air and endanger our health and environment, or it can transform itself into a responsible corporate citizen that contributes to a cleaner and greener future for all.
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