Residents living in Rand West, Mogale and Merafong are being exposed to severe health risks due to the complete failure of air quality monitoring in the district. The West Rand District Municipality (WRDM) has allowed its only two air monitoring stations at Ya Rona Clinic in Rand West and Leratong in Mogale City, to fall into disrepair due to a total lack of maintenance funding.
No air quality data has been recorded in 2025, while the 2024 data is unusable due to extensive gaps and technical failures. Merafong has no monitoring station, relying on outdated industry-submitted data. These failures mean pollution goes unchecked, and communities are left in the dark about the quality of the air they breathe.
This puts the residents at risk of developing breathing issues. Air pollution is a silent killer, responsible for over 8.1 million deaths globally each year. Monitoring air quality and pollution is essential. It provides real-time data needed to protect public health, enforce environmental laws, and respond to harmful pollution levels. Without accurate monitoring, authorities cannot detect dangerous pollutants, warn communities, or hold polluters accountable.
This is a clear case of mismanagement, where budget neglect has compromised public health. A government that cannot maintain basic infrastructure cannot claim to care about the people it serves.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng will submit questions to the MEC for Environment, Ewan Botha concerning the collapse of monitoring systems, and the demand for a mobile unit for Merafong City. The DA Gauteng will push for real-time data transparency and community education on the dangers of air pollution.
A DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government would ensure that air quality monitoring is not neglected, and clean, healthy environments are a priority for municipalities, not an afterthought. The Departments of Environment and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) would work together to support municipalities and hold them accountable, so that every community across Gauteng can breathe easier and live with dignity.