NOTICE IN TERMS OF SECTION 28(12) OF THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT, 1998, IN RELATION TO ARCELORMITTAL SOUTH AFRICAS OPERATIONS AT VANDERBIJLPARK

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) has issued an urgent notice to the South African Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) demanding that it direct ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) to address ongoing pollution at its Vanderbijlpark site. CER highlights failures in air emission controls, water discharge compliance, and land contamination remediation, while accusing the DEA of delaying action and providing contradictory information regarding the existence of records on land contamination assessments.

• AMSA's Vanderbijlpark operations are reported to be causing significant pollution, including an 'upset condition' in August 2018 that resulted in the 'pooling of liquid iron' and associated brown smoke and odour.
• AMSA is non-compliant in reducing cumulative annual sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions and is failing to reduce fugitive emissions at waste dust discharge and transportation, partly because the Coke Oven and Clean Gas and Water Plant (COCGW) has not been repaired since 2011.
• Water pollution issues include stormwater discharge exceeding water use licence (WUL) limits for sulphates in March 2018 and a failure by AMSA to provide required reports to the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) for three months.
• A November 2017 Land Contamination Site Assessment Report revealed a coal tar pool several metres thick in one borehole and groundwater pollution spreading offsite, potentially affecting two people living within 1 km.
• The DEA is accused of administrative failure and lack of transparency, having claimed under oath in June 2018 that records of the November 2017 Land Contamination Site Assessment did not exist, despite later admitting it had received the report and requested a remediation plan.
• CER notes a significant delay in government action, stating it took three years from the initial 2015 notification of possible contamination to obtain the Land Contamination Site Assessment report and Remediation Plan.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2018). NOTICE IN TERMS OF SECTION 28(12) OF THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT, 1998, IN RELATION TO ARCELORMITTAL SOUTH AFRICAS OPERATIONS AT VANDERBIJLPARK. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/CER-to-DEA-re-AMSA-s2812-followup-26-September-2018.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. NOTICE IN TERMS OF SECTION 28(12) OF THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT, 1998, IN RELATION TO ARCELORMITTAL SOUTH AFRICAS OPERATIONS AT VANDERBIJLPARK. 2018. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/CER-to-DEA-re-AMSA-s2812-followup-26-September-2018.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=NOTICE IN TERMS OF SECTION 28(12) OF THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT, 1998, IN RELATION TO ARCELORMITTAL SOUTH AFRICAS OPERATIONS AT VANDERBIJLPARK |date=26 September 2018 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/CER-to-DEA-re-AMSA-s2812-followup-26-September-2018.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2018notice, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{NOTICE IN TERMS OF SECTION 28(12) OF THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT, 1998, IN RELATION TO ARCELORMITTAL SOUTH AFRICAS OPERATIONS AT VANDERBIJLPARK}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2018}, month = sep, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/CER-to-DEA-re-AMSA-s2812-followup-26-September-2018.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }