A rotten egg smell recorded over large tracts of Johannesburg has been officially attributed to industrial activity in Mpumalanga. Environmental groups warn that current monitoring systems are inadequate. Environmental organisations warn that the “rotten egg” smell recorded over parts of Johannesburg last weekend is a symptom of a larger, ongoing problem with Johannesburg’s poor air quality.
The City of Johannesburg confirmed on 19 January that there were widely reported claims of a rotten egg smell over parts of the city, including Sandton, Randburg, Roodeport, Fourways and Parktown. In a statement, the city said that an investigation conducted by the Environmental and Infrastructure Department found that the smell was probably linked to hydrogen sulphide pollution. The geographic spread of the odour ruled out a localised source.
“It is likely that the city was impacted by a transboundary pollution source,” the statement reads. “Current weather patterns are conducive to the long-range transport of air pollutants from the Highveld Priority Area and industrial complexes in Mpumalanga province, which include power generation and petrochemical operations. The characteristics of the reported odour are consistent with emissions typically associated with such activities.” The Highveld Priority Area is a region in Mpumalanga and Gauteng that includes Secunda, which hosts a synthetic fuel plant owned by Sasol.
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Sasol denied responsibility for the smell in a press statement released on 16 January. “We confirm that Secunda Operations is stable, with no operational incidents or abnormal process conditions that could have resulted in increased emissions or off‑site impacts,” it read. Similar episodes have been reported over the years, with an incident in June 2022 attracting widespread media coverage.
Environmental watchdog Greenpeace Africa and global philanthropic organisation Clean Air Fund warned that these episodes indicate that existing regulations, such as the 2005 Air Quality Act, are not being enforced. Vumile Senene, Clean Air Fund’s country lead for South Africa, told Daily Maverick that compounding the issue were certain pollutants, such as the one responsible for the rotten egg smell, not being adequately monitored.
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