02 June 2025
The Sedibeng District Municipality observed World Environment Day, celebrated annually on the 5th of June, with an Air Quality Summit held from 4–6 June 2025 in Vanderbijlpark. The event was an initiative of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment’s (DFFE) Annual Air Quality Priority Areas Summit, in partnership with the Clean Air Fund.
This year’s summit was held under the theme “Investing in Clean Air Through Shared Responsibilities,” brought together over 170 participants across government, academia, civil society, and community leadership to confront the urgent issue of air pollution in South Africa’s declared priority areas. These include the Vaal Triangle Airshed Priority Area (VTAPA), the Highveld Priority Area (HPA), and the Waterberg Bojanala Priority Area (WBPA).
The Vaal Triangle area was declared a high priority area in the 2006 due to a dense mix of industrial and urban life, with areas such as Sharpeville, Sebokeng and Zamdela identified as vulnerable to negative impacts of air pollution.
The summit commenced with a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Kgomoco Primary School in Sharpeville, to mark the launch of the Low-Cost Air Quality Monitoring Sensor Network Project. The sensor installed at the school, will monitor ambient concentrations of particulate matter pollutants, specifically PM2.5 and PM10, which are tiny particles found in the air that can be harmful when inhaled.
The first two days of the summit were reserved for high-level government discussions focused on, reviewing air quality laws and regulations, improving the implementation of air quality plans, and exploring how to reduce pollution in sectors like mining, waste, and transport.
The third day of the summit hosted various stakeholders, organisations, and other civil society representatives who were given a chance to share their views, learn about current air quality initiatives, and understand how they can be more involved.
The summit’s outcomes aim to fast-track the implementation of priority area regulations, foster intergovernmental cooperation, and empower civil society to advocate for cleaner, healthier environments.
“Achieving good air quality in Sedibeng, is not just a scientific venture but also leans into social justice to uphold the human rights of our people. Summits like these are essential for networking, as well as maintaining good communication on all fronts to ensure that we achieve good air quality through collaboration across all sectors, be it government, private and civil sectors”. - Ms Lungile Thwala, Executive Director of Transport, Infrastructure and Environment
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