More than 300 families in the Mpumalanga settlements of Emaphepheni and Emalayinini face a silent and relentless threat of corrosive fumes from a nearby production plant and mill. Companies that are plying their trade in the area are Mpact and Mondi .
The fumes from the factories are allegedly eroding zinc roofs and crumbling shacks, leaving residents in despair and fear over potential health hazards.
Residents are also worried the fumes could be contaminating their water sources.
“We are living in hell,” said William Ngwenya, a resident of Emaphepheni who moved to the area in 2014.
“The smoke eats away at our roofs,” said Ngwenya.
So desperate is the situation that the government is planning to bring in experts to assess the quality of the air in the area and its impact on people’s health.
“We are bringing in engineering laboratory consultants to assess whether the chemical is harmful to the well-being of the residents,” Freddy Ngobe of the Mpumalanga Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs told Sunday World.
“Once the assessment is concluded, we’ll advise on necessary interventions,” said Ngobe.
He confirmed the metal roofing in the area was being destroyed by some chemical substance(s) from the paper operations. The settlements were built more than 10 years ago but both factories have been there for much longer.
In 2019, Ngwenya installed new sheets of zinc roofing after the old were damaged.
“I have had to replace my roof every year, and I thought, ‘this time, I’ll buy the best I can’. But the new roof didn’t even last a year,” he said.
Ngwenya calls the chemical fumes from the plants a “merciless demon”.
“It doesn’t just destroy zinc –it feasts on iron. Even the nails holding the roof together rot away,” he said.
The relentless damage forced him to give away his car.
“First, the paintwork on the car started swelling. Then the steel pipes in the engine began to corrode. I had no choice but to give it away before it was completely ruined,” he said.
He now relies on a bakkie that requires constant repairs due to the same corrosion.
Zanele Sangweni, a resident of Emalayinini, shared similar frustrations. “The smoke is a nightmare. The fumes destroy everything.”
But beyond the destruction of property, residents are growing increasingly concerned about their health. They say neighbours have reported respiratory issues. “We don’t know if it’s harmful to us but if it’s doing this to our homes, we must be walking corpses.”
Mpumalanga MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs Speedy Mashilo recently acknowledged the pollution
issue but offered little hope.
“We built a beautiful area in ward 8 but the smoke is destroying everything,” he said.
Mashilo revealed plans to relocate the community but said many residents are refusing to leave the area. “If experts say the fumes don’t affect their health, we’ll re-roof the houses with tiles,” he stated at a recent gathering in Piet Retief.
Sandile Ngcobo, Mondi’s public affairs and transformation, denied accusations the company is responsible for the air pollution in the area.
“Mondi confirms it does not operate any mills or production facilities in Mkhondo or the broader Mpumalanga area,” Ngcobo said.
He emphasised that Mondi adheres to strict operational and environmental regulations.
When asked whether Mondi supplies wood for pulp to Mpact, Ngcobo stated he would need to verify with the Mondi Group.
Mpact, which runs the Mkhondo Mill, denied any responsibility for the air pollution.
Spokesperson Danielle King said Mpact’s mill complies with environmental regulations and operates under air emissions licences, which require regular monitoring and reporting to authorities.
According to Pulp and Paper Technology, the pulping process in the paper-making industry is a source of air pollution, water pollution and deforestation.
The organisation notes that “most of the time, during the pulping process in papermaking, the sulphur compounds escape the process and are released into the atmosphere. Sulphur compounds such as hydrogen sulphide and dimethyl sulphide, which are emitted during the pulping process of paper, have a pungent odour.”
