REGULATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTING AND ENFORCING THE HIGHVELD PRIORITY AREA AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN (2012)

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) argues that the Highveld Priority Area (HPA) has failed to improve air quality since its 2007 declaration, leaving residents in breach of their constitutional right to a healthy environment. The CER highlights that the 2012 Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP) remains a mere guideline due to a lack of implementing regulations and the granting of 'rolling postponements' for minimum emission standards to major polluters like Eskom and Sasol. The CER demands the publication of enforcement regulations, a final Mid-Term Review of the AQMP, and a cessation of emission standard postponements to meet the 2020 goal of reducing industrial emissions.

• Air quality in the Highveld Priority Area (HPA) has not improved in the ten years following its declaration, with ambient air remaining out of compliance with health-based National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).
• The monitoring network for air quality in the HPA has deteriorated; the number of monitoring sites with available data dropped from 23 in the 2012 AQMP to only nine in the 2017 draft review, with only five providing timely monthly reports.
• The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) has failed to develop the regulations required under section 20 of the Air Quality Act to implement and enforce the AQMP, leaving the plan as an unenforceable guideline.
• Major industrial polluters, specifically Eskom and Sasol, have been granted 'rolling postponements' from complying with minimum emission standards (MES), which the CER argues prevents the achievement of the AQMP's 2020 goal to reduce industrial emissions.
• Local government capacity in the Nkangala District Municipality (NDM) and eMalahleni Local Municipality is insufficient, lacking the funding, trained staff, and designated Air Quality Officers needed to enforce the Air Quality Act.
• Expert analysis indicates that emissions from Eskom's coal-fired power stations cause significant health burdens, including an estimated 2,239 equivalent attributable deaths and an annual economic cost of approximately R33 billion.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2018). REGULATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTING AND ENFORCING THE HIGHVELD PRIORITY AREA AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN (2012). https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/CER-Letter-to-Minister-Mokonyane_10-December-2018.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. REGULATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTING AND ENFORCING THE HIGHVELD PRIORITY AREA AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN (2012). 2018. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/CER-Letter-to-Minister-Mokonyane_10-December-2018.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=REGULATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTING AND ENFORCING THE HIGHVELD PRIORITY AREA AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN (2012) |date=10 December 2018 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/CER-Letter-to-Minister-Mokonyane_10-December-2018.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2018regulations, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{REGULATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTING AND ENFORCING THE HIGHVELD PRIORITY AREA AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN (2012)}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2018}, month = dec, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/CER-Letter-to-Minister-Mokonyane_10-December-2018.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }