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Greenpeace Africa has raised the alarm on deadly air pollution causing many early deaths of more than 42,000 South Africans every year.
In 2023, an estimated 16,000 people died in Gauteng due to toxic air. That represents approximately 44 deaths daily, all attributed to the air people breathe in South Africa.
The document, which evaluates the economic and health implications of South Africa’s poor air quality, further refers to the grim statistic that an estimated 1,300 children under the age of five die each year as a complication of air pollution.
Air pollution in South Africa has become a problem in industrial and city areas such as Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and the Vaal Triangle. These regions have many Eskom coal-powered plants, the state-owned power company.
For all the global shift to cleaner energy, South Africa is and will remain coal-reliant, with more than 80% of its electricity coming from coal. There is an enormous human cost to that addiction. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide blanket these towns, entering lungs and bloodstreams, causing respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, strokes, and even cancer.
Children are particularly vulnerable with their elevated respiratory rates and being outdoors more often. In slums that border industrial areas, where medical care is minimal, the consequences are considerably worse. Colds and flu are common respiratory illnesses among young people.
In eMbalenhle, a town in the vicinity of one of Eskom’s biggest power plants, health clinics treat babies with chronic coughs and low birth weights. Parents are increasingly having to choose between relocation – normally a too expensive solution – or living in constant fear of medical emergencies.
South Africa’s push for industrial growth has historically prioritized economic output over environmental health. But the costs are no longer just ecological, they are deeply human. Greenpeace Africa’s report calculates billions in economic losses due to pollution-related diseases, lost productivity, and premature deaths.
