Pretoria, South Africa — Today, Greenpeace activists and communities living in some of South Africa’s most polluted regions staged a powerful peaceful protest today outside the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) in Pretoria to denounce South Africa’s deadly air pollution crisis and demand urgent governmental action.

Wearing gas masks and carrying tombstones marked with real health statistics, activists reenacted the harsh reality faced by communities near coal plants and industrial sites. The action was sparked by recent dismissive remarks from Minister Gwede Mantashe, who said: “We can’t kill mining for fresh air.”

According to research by Greenpeace Africa and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), more than 42,000 South Africans die prematurely each year due to air pollution, including 1,300 children under the age of five in 2023 alone. Communities in Mpumalanga and the Vaal Triangle remain on the frontlines of this crisis, paying with their lungs while industry profits.

“Our children are literally choking, our elders die too soon, and yet the government tells us mining profit is more important than our health” said Khehla Mahlangu, a community activist from Mpumalanga. “We are here to say: Enough. Our lungs are not collateral damage.”

Greenpeace Africa is calling for:

  • an immediate end to exemptions from air pollution limits for major emitters;
  • Immediate enforcement of the National Environmental Management Air Quality Act;
  • a bold, just transition away from coal to renewable energy that centers communities;
  • stronger transparency and access to real-time pollution data for the public.
  • A health impact audit of industrial zones, particularly in Mpumalanga and the Vaal Triangle.

During the action, activists delivered a formal handover of these demands to the Ministry of Environment.

“Minister Mantashe’s comments are not just tone-deaf, they’re deadly,” said Cynthia Moyo, Climate and Energy Campaigner at Greenpeace Africa. “Air pollution costs South Africa hundreds of billions of rand every year in healthcare and lost productivity. A just energy transition is not just good for the climate — it will create jobs, save lives, and strengthen our economy.”

Greenpeace Africa stressed that clean air is a constitutional right, and urged the DFFE to respond to the memorandum and meet with community representatives to discuss urgent solutions.

Visuals will be available here. 

PRESS CONTACT:

Ibrahima Ka Ndoye – International Communication Coordinator [email protected]
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