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Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape has the best air quality in South Africa, with some of the lowest air pollution levels in the world, however, other areas across South Africa have poor air quality.
IQAir’s 2022 World Air Quality Report looks at air quality data from over 7,300 cities (areas) across 131 countries. The report looks at PM2.5 concentration which describes the number of fine particulate aerosol particles up to 2.5 microns in diameter – a standard for Air Quality reports.
According to the report, Oudtshoorn is the least polluted area in all of Africa, with a 2022 PM2.5 average (µg/m³) of 0.8.
South African areas dominate the least polluted areas across Africa, with Grabouw (2.6µg/m³), Western Cape; Nieuwoudtville, Nothern Cape (3.4 µg/m³); Knysna, Western Cape (5.2µg/m³); and Cape Town, Western Cape (6.7µg/m³) making up the rest of the top five areas in Africa.
According to the report, Cape Town ranks as the 107th least populated regional capital out of 116 cities in the world.
However, other areas in South Africa do not boast impressive air quality levels.
South Africa’s capital Pretoria would be the 43rd worst polluter in terms of capital cities, with 21.7 µg/m³.
Thabazimbi, Limpopo (42.2µg/m³) has the worst air pollution in South Africa, ranking 7th in the most polluted areas in Africa.
Thabazimbi experienced several fire outbreaks and a shortage of firefighters, leading to a major increase in annual PM2.5 levels in 2022.
IQAir’s city markers in South Africa can be seen below:
IQAir said that South Africa’s constitution guarantees a clean environment free of pollution, however, poor air quality in many cities means that the right remains unrealised for many South Africans.
However, air quality in most South African cities did improve in 2022, building on an improvement in 2021.
Excluding Thabazimbi, all South African areas in the report met the WHO’s interim guidelines target of 35 μg/m3 in 2022.
That being said, South Africa is still the 39th most air-polluted country in the world.
| Ranking | Country | PM2.5 concentration (μg/m³) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chad | 89.7 |
| 2 | Iraq | 80.1 |
| 3 | Pakistan | 70.9 |
| 4 | Bahrain | 66.6 |
| 5 | Bangladesh | 65.8 |
| 6 | Burkina Faso | 63.0 |
| 7 | Kuwait | 55.8 |
| 8 | India | 53.3 |
| 9 | Egypt | 46.5 |
| 10 | Tajikistan | 46.0 |
| 39 | South Africa | 23.4 |
| 131 | Guam | 1.3 |
IQAir said that South Africa’s outdoor air quality is affected by transportation, energy generation and consumption, and industrial growth, while the burning of waste and solid cooking fuels is leading to indoor pollution.
South Africans living close to the country’s coal-fired power plants are at a greater risk of the negative effects of air pollution, as they are exposed to higher levels of SO2, CO2, NOx, and particulate matter.
In 2022, the Pretoria high court ruled on a case against the government brought forward by two environmental justice groups regarding poor air quality in the Highveld Priority area.
Mpumalanga accounts for over 80% of the nation’s coal production and is a significant contributor to regional air pollution, with the Mpumalanga Highveld seen as a priority area under the Air Quality Act in 2007.
The court upheld the environmental justice group’s argument that the air quality in the area violated the constitutional right to an environment that is not harmful to health.
The government was given one year to establish and enforce the Highveld Plan under the Air Quality Act.
More emissions incoming
Despite last year’s court ruling, Mpumalanga will soon see an increase in harmful emissions.
The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy, granted Eskom an exemption to speed up the return to service of Kusile Power station, which will have negative environmental consequences.
The department exempted Eskom from the long process of amending its Atmospheric Emission License, subject to some strict conditions.
The ‘quick-fix’ solution will see 2,100MW returned to the grid – possibly by the end of 2023 instead of 2024 – but will see Eskom pump more damaging Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) into the air.
Eskom plans to build temporary stacks by November 2023, as damaged stack repairs will only be completed by December 2024.
The temporary stacks will operate without the use of the Flue Gas Delsuphurisation for 13 months.
This will result in an increase in sulphur dioxide emissions, exceeding the current limit contained in Kusile’s Atmospheric Emission License.
Read: South Africa’s climate change performance vs the world in 2023
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