Tue 11 June 2019:
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa’s government has failed to tackle high air pollution levels in an area which is home to coal-fired power stations and refineries, a lawsuit filed by environmental and community groups says.
The case filed in the Pretoria High Court on Friday claims the government has violated the constitutional right to a healthy environment for people living and working in the densely-polluted Highveld Priority Area. It was brought by environmental justice group groundWork and community organization Vukani Environmental Justice Movement in Action. Africa’s most advanced economy is also its worst polluter, generating most of its energy from coal-fired power plants that emit millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. “Together with groundWork, Vukani has decided to use litigation to push government to take urgent steps to deal with the high air pollution and in the interest of our health and to protect our right to clean air,” Vukani chairperson Vusi Mabaso said in a statement.