TO: ALL MEDIA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: 21 SEPTEMBER 2026

EARD PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE DEMANDS STRONGER ACCOUNTABILITY AND ACTION ON POLLUTION IN GAUTENG

The Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Environment, Agriculture and Rural Development (EARD) Portfolio Committee has called for stronger environmental enforcement, urgent investment in ageing water and wastewater infrastructure, and coordinated action to address air pollution following the conclusion of its two-day Pollution Summit.

For the Portfolio Committee, the message from the Summit is clear: pollution is not only an environmental issue; it is a people’s issue and an accountability issue. Communities cannot continue to bear the consequences of sewage spillage, inadequate sanitation, polluted rivers and dams, poor waste management and exposure to air pollution. The Committee emphasised that residents should not carry the social, environmental and economic costs of failures in environmental management, poor infrastructure and lack of enforcement.

The Portfolio Committee will also advocate for stronger coordination with the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cluster at provincial level to strengthen environmental law enforcement, combat environmental crimes and improve cooperation between Environmental Management Inspectors, law-enforcement agencies and prosecutorial authorities.

Participants proposed greater use of environmental intelligence and stronger mechanisms to ensure that environmental offences result in effective enforcement and environmental rehabilitation.

Aging sewer and wastewater infrastructure, population growth, informal settlements and increasing wastewater volumes are placing growing pressure on Gauteng’s water systems. The Committee emphasised that communities must not be left to live with recurring sewage spillage, inadequate sanitation and polluted waterways while infrastructure fails to keep pace with population growth.

Hon. Bones Modise, Chairperson of the Select Committee on Agriculture, Land Reform and Mineral Resources, who attended the Summit, emphasised the need to hold the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) and the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) accountable for strengthening wastewater infrastructure, pollution prevention and environmental compliance across all
provinces.

Air pollution was also a key focus of the Summit, with concerns raised around industrial emissions, particulate pollution and inadequate monitoring. The Committee emphasizes the need for stronger monitoring of fine particulate matter, particularly PM2.5, and greater accountability for industries required to monitor and report regulated emissions.

The Summit calls for air-quality management, stronger public education and more effective implementation of air-quality plans. The Committee will use its oversight processes to assess whether air-quality commitments are being implemented and whether communities are receiving adequate protection from harmful pollution.

The EARD Portfolio Committee stressed that the Pollution Summit must not end with discussions and resolutions. The real measure of its success will be whether Gauteng Provincial Government, municipalities, businesses and other responsible institutions take action that improves the lives of people affected by pollution.

The Committee will therefore take the Summit outcomes into its ongoing legislative oversight programme. This will include engagements with provincial departments, municipalities, national government departments, industry, academia, civil society and affected communities. The Committee will track commitments, interrogate implementation, identify gaps and demand corrective action where environmental obligations are not being met.

Chairperson of the EARD Portfolio Committee, Hon. Jaco Mulder, said: “Pollution affects real people their homes, their health, their livelihoods and the communities in which they live. The Pollution Summit has reinforced the need for Gauteng to move from discussion to measurable and enforceable action. Our responsibility as a Legislature is to strengthen oversight, hold responsible departments, municipalities and polluters accountable, and ensure that pollution is addressed at its source. The Summit is not the end of the process; it marks the beginning of stronger oversight and continued engagement to ensure that the people of Gauteng see meaningful action.”

The EARD Portfolio Committee will continue working with relevant stakeholders to advance the Summit outcomes and ensure that environmental protection remains focused on accountable institutions, cleaner water, cleaner air and safer, healthier communities across Gauteng.

ISSUED BY THE GPL COMMUNICATIONS UNIT ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE EARD PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE, HONOURABLE JACO MULDER.

GAUTENG PROVINCIAL LEGISLATURE