Sasol is under pressure to reduce emissions in Secunda, Mpumalanga. Residents and environmental groups are accusing the global chemical and energy company of doing little to curb emitting more carbon dioxide. Some residents claim the green-house gas emissions has a huge impact on their health. The company is among the largest polluters in the country after the power utility, Eskom’s coal power stations.
Sasol’s biggest plant is located in Secunda. The company is the largest greenhouse gas emitter.
Residents say the chemicals are slowly choking them.
Sharon Mbonani’s three-year-old son started getting sick from age one.
“Specialist that side identified that the child is exposed to fumes and those fumes are messing up with his respiratory system. They found that he had infections in his throat three times. It had to be treated and it’s expensive because I am unemployed. But unfortunately, he has to live in Springs and I have to live this side because this is my home and it has really affected me because I can’t raise my child. I can’t experience anything that a mother experiences when their child is growing up,” says Mbonani.
Another resident, Queeneth Nkosi, says, “I was very sick and stayed in hospital due to SDR TB. I grew up here and have been very sick. I now even have asthma and breast cancer. I am awaiting to go to hospital to get cut. All these sicknesses were caused by the TB. My life has changed drastically and I am no longer able to even go to work. I get tired easily and with this asthma, I have to use this pump”.
Local environmental groups and activists want transparency from Sasol. They believe the company is manipulating the emission data. They want the data to be made public.
“What we have been complaining about is that they cannot be a player and a referee. For example, in our area they have monitoring stations which are controlled by them. So, we are questioning their data. To mitigate that, we started working with other NGO’s that gave us monitoring stations which we now can use to question their data,” says Fana Sibanyoni, MS Environmental Projects.
Meanwhile, Sasol claims to have reduced greenhouse gases by nearly 15 million tons between 2004 and 2017.
“Since 2017 to date, we have further reduced our emissions by 3. 5 million tons towards a 19 million tons equating to 30% by 2030. Our current emissions are approximately 60 million tons. We will meet this target in the next seven years by implementing energy efficiency, integrating renewable energy, turning down boilers and reducing our coal feedstock by 25%. Our plan is credible and has cost us in the region by 15 to 25 billion cumulatively by 2030 we also have the means to implement this plan and we are already doing so, we are setting a foundation to achieve our net zero by 2050,” says Shamini Harrington, Sasol Vice President for Climate Change.
Old Mutual Investment Group, one of Sasol’s investors had threatened to vote against the company’s pre-declared climate report before the company’s cancelled AGM.
Video: Secunda residents accuse Sasol of excessive toxic carbon emissions
