Parliament, Friday, 02 June 2017 – The Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs is appalled by the announcement made by the South African petrochemicals group Sasol that it will apply to postpone a 2020 deadline for meeting minimum emissions standards, which were promulgated in line with the Air Quality Act.
The Committee is opposed to Sasol’s intention to lodge postponement applications again, particularly for SO2 (sulphur dioxide) and H2S (hydrogen sulphide), where the company claims that it presently lacks credible viable solutions for dealing with these pollutants. The Committee had made it abundantly clear in its recent engagement with Sasol at its Secunda plant this past March that the Committee would like all South African major emitters to fully adhere to the Air Quality Act, especially in meeting the Minimum Emission Standards (MES), without any further delay.
The Chairperson of the Committee, Mr Phillemon Mapulane said, “We are of the view that Sasol would not need to apply for further postponements, if it had immediately sought to comply with the air quality legislation, insofar as meeting of the MES is concerned. However, sadly, the company chose to resist the legislation, or rather wished it away. It is therefore only proper at this stage for Sasol to double its efforts in meeting our MES. After all, these are just minimum standards, which are below the World Health Organisation’s standards that we should aim to meet like many other nations.”
The Committee would further like to remind Sasol and other major polluters that South Africa’s Air Quality Act was promulgated in response to the constitutional directive for the state to ensure protection of the right to an environment that is not harmful to the health or wellbeing of every South African.
“It is therefore reasonable to expect Sasol and all other companies whose operations generate atmospheric emissions to do their uttermost in the spirit of responsible corporate citizenry to obey our air quality legislation to the letter to protect our people, rather than hide behind the veil of job losses, as though jobs are more important than human life”, said Mr Mapulane.
As a technical engineering company, Sasol should lead the way in pollution abatement innovation and technology, rather than look for cheap ways that might compromise human lives, considering that Sasol’s operations are situated in air pollution hotspots where air pollution emissions expose individuals to increased negative health effects.
ISSUED BY PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS, MR PHILLEMON MAPULANE
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Email: fkwaza@parliament.gov.za
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