SECUNDA, MPUMALANGA — Air pollution from the Sasol Secunda plant is linked to approximately 1,000 premature deaths and 260 new childhood asthma cases each year, imposing a massive R19-billion annual economic burden on South African society.
These alarming findings are detailed in a new report titled “The hidden cost of coal to liquids in South Africa,” published by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). The study estimates that the facility’s emissions leave over 1,000 children living with active asthma attributable to the exposure. Jamie Kelly, a researcher at CREA, explained that the toxic emissions from the coal-to-liquids facility are causing widespread health crises, particularly among the most vulnerable demographics.
According to Kelly, the health impacts extend far beyond respiratory issues. The pollution is associated with pre-term and underweight births in pregnant women, increased emergency room visits for children, and premature deaths among the elderly due to various diseases. Children and the very young suffer disproportionately because their respiratory, cardiovascular, and immune systems are still developing, leaving their bodies unable to effectively handle toxic pollutants.
The financial toll of this environmental degradation is staggering, yet it is not reflected in Sasol’s balance sheets. Kelly noted that the R19-billion annual cost is entirely externalized, meaning communities and the state foot the bill. This economic burden is driven by an estimated 500,000 work absences annually due to pollution-related illnesses, alongside rising healthcare costs for medications and hospitalizations, and the broader economic impact of lost lives.
The report relies on emissions data reported by Sasol itself, which acknowledges releasing massive quantities of toxic air pollution, including 100,000 tons of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere annually. Despite this, regulatory intervention remains limited. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has granted Sasol an “alternative limit” exemption, permitting the facility to emit even higher levels of pollution for the next five years. Kelly highlighted that this decision contradicts national air quality priority policies designed to protect heavily polluted communities, leaving residents to endure the impacts for at least another half-decade.
While residents in the region frequently complain of a pervasive “rotten egg” odor—a smell that can occasionally travel as far as Johannesburg, 140 kilometers away—Kelly warned that the odor is merely the “tip of the iceberg.” The most dangerous pollutants are often invisible and odorless, capable of lingering in the atmosphere for up to two weeks and traveling vast distances to cause insidious health damage.
Addressing the crisis requires a shift from passive monitoring to active mitigation. While routine air quality monitoring devices are already utilized by both the government and Sasol to identify high-pollution zones, Kelly emphasized that the immediate solution lies in implementing robust air pollution control measures. By capturing toxic emissions before they are released or transitioning to cleaner fuels, the facility can drastically reduce its health impacts. Kelly concluded that these solutions are proven to be cost-effective globally, demonstrating that industrial profitability and clean air are not mutually exclusive.
