BROKEN PROMISES

This October 2017 report by the Centre for Environmental Rights, groundWork, and the Highveld Environmental Justice Network evaluates the failure of the Highveld Priority Area (HPA) to improve air quality in South Africa. Despite the 2007 declaration of the HPA and the 2012 Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP), the report concludes that air quality remains poor and non-compliant with health-based standards, largely due to industrial emissions, inadequate monitoring, and a lack of government capacity and enforcement.

• Air quality in the Highveld Priority Area (HPA) has not improved in the ten years following its 2007 declaration and the subsequent 2012 Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP). The report attributes this continued non-compliance with national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) primarily to the failure of major industrial facilities to adequately reduce emissions.
• The network of ambient air quality monitoring stations in the HPA has deteriorated significantly. While the 2012 AQMP listed 23 monitoring sites with data, a 2017 draft review by the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) listed only nine, with only five of those providing timely monthly reports via the South African Air Quality Information System (SAAQIS).
• There is a lack of transparency regarding industrial emissions, making it difficult to assess if industries have reduced pollution. Key data and documents are not made publicly available by government or industry, and available information in the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory System (NAEIS) or SAAQIS is often incomplete, outdated, or difficult for the public to access.
• Dust emissions, particularly from mining, have seen negligible reduction efforts over the last decade. The report notes that the National Dust Control Regulations of 2013 are inadequate and that the Department of Mineral Resources has been absent from the HPA process.
• Efforts to reduce air pollution in dense, low-income settlements have been limited. A draft Strategy to address Air Pollution in Dense Low-income Settlements published in July 2016 was found to lack measurable and progressive plans for indoor air pollution and failed to provide for the participation of NGOs and community-based organisations.
• Local governments, specifically the Nkangala District Municipality (NDM) and its local municipalities, lack the financial resources and skilled staff necessary to implement the AQMP and enforce the Air Quality Act. For example, the NDM has only three officials for compliance monitoring and enforcement.
• The National Air Quality Officer's 2015 decision to grant postponements from minimum emission standards to Sasol and Eskom, the HPA's largest polluters, has significantly hindered the reduction of air pollution in the region.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2017). BROKEN PROMISES. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/HPA-Report-web.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. BROKEN PROMISES. 2017. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/HPA-Report-web.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=BROKEN PROMISES |date=October 2017 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/HPA-Report-web.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centreforenvironmentalrights2017broken, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{BROKEN PROMISES}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2017}, month = oct, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/HPA-Report-web.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }