The town, which is seen as one of the most industrialised in the Free State, does not have a single ambient air quality monitoring station. 

Mangaung Metro Municipality Mayor, Mxolisi Siyonzana, made this plea on Friday while accompanying the Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Maggy Sotyu, during an oversight visit to the Pelonomi Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station. 

Siyonzana says it’s important that matters of air pollution in Botshabelo are attended to as quickly as possible.

“In Botshabelo, there is an industrial zone and when there is an industrial zone we expect a lot of pollution... I think we need to engage the deputy minister, Maggy Sotyu, as well as the officials to start thinking about that particular area because that particular area is having a lot of people, and some of them when they are cooking they are using fires,” he adds.

According to the Department of Forestry, a report from the Pelonomi Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station shows transport-related emissions are most intense in Mangaung and along the major road networks, linking the city to surrounding provinces. 

OFM News previously reported that only one out of three air stations used to measure air pollution around Bloemfontein is currently working whilst the Bayswater and Kagisanong air stations are currently non-operational.

OFM News