KM_554e-20160706085846

This document is a formal response from the eMalahleni Local Municipality (ELM) to a questionnaire from the Centre for Environmental Rights. The questionnaire seeks to determine if air quality in the Nkangala District Municipality has improved since 2007. The ELM reports significant resource constraints, a lack of operational monitoring equipment, and an inability to confirm air quality improvements, noting that physical observations suggest pollution is worsening.

• The eMalahleni Local Municipality (ELM) cannot definitively state whether air quality has improved since 2007 because it lacks an air quality management plan and has not conducted ambient air quality monitoring. The municipality's only monitoring station, located at Moses Kotane Drive, has been non-operational since 2009 due to budgetary constraints. Based on physical observation, the municipality states that "pollution exposure levels have not improved since 2007 and its getting worse."
• The ELM faces significant budgetary and staffing shortages. While a new organizational structure for the environmental management and compliance department was approved in 2014, the budget is "not adequate to can implement key mandates". Budget allocations were R2,670,518 for 2014/2015, R1,224,376 for 2015/2016, and R3,389,309 for 2016/2017. The municipality reports it does not have "enough and the right people to performance air quality management functions", including a lack of a qualified Environmental Management Inspector (EMI).
• Air quality regulation in the Highveld is characterized by a lack of formal written agreements between authorities, relying instead on "standing arrangements" and various forums such as the Highveld Priority Area Implementation Task Team (HPA ITT). The Nkangala District Municipality (NDM) is responsible for issuing atmospheric emission licenses under section 36 of the NEMAQA, 2004, while the ELM focuses on local By-laws and national dust control regulations.
• The ELM reports difficulties in managing dust and pollution from mining operations because it lacks jurisdiction under the MPRDA, which creates "challenges of access into the mining facilities". The municipality states that intergovernmental relations with the Department of Mineral and Resources (DMR) need improvement to ensure the DMR participates in air quality forums.
• No specific measures have been implemented to improve air quality in dense low-income settlements or to address domestic coal burning, other than annual awareness campaigns and a tree-planting drive along main roads. The municipality notes that pollution levels in areas using coal for household use have increased due to a rise in informal settlements.
• The ELM has not directed any industrial facility to reduce emissions of key pollutants or greenhouse gases, nor has it conducted any analysis of emission reports to determine if such reductions have occurred since 2007.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (n.d.). KM_554e-20160706085846. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/SKM_554e16070608570.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. KM_554e-20160706085846. n.d. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/SKM_554e16070608570.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=KM_554e-20160706085846 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/SKM_554e16070608570.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrightsndkm554e20160706085846, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{KM\_554e-20160706085846}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/SKM_554e16070608570.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }