Stench over Johannesburg sparks government probe

The smell, which in the past has been caused by high levels of sulfur dioxide pollution, sparked speculation about its origin on social media and whether it’s floating in from Mpumalanga, a province to the east.

Mpumalanga is the site of most of the country’s coal-fired power plants, as well as a giant petrochemical complex owned by Sasol.

Forecaster Gauteng Weather warned that the pollution could be harmful and urged caution.

⚠️ ALERT: UNHEALTHY AIR QUALITY IN LARGE PARTS OF GAUTENG OVERNIGHT!!!

JOHANNESBURG AT 21:25 HAS THE THIRD WORST AIR QUALITY GLOBALLY, IN TERMS OF MAJOR CITIES:

1. DHELI,

It also tied the origin to Mpumalanga.

⚠️ ALERT: BIG STINK RETURNS TO GAUTENG DUE TO WINDS BLOWING IN FROM MPUMALANGA!!! UNHEALTHY AIR QUALITY FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS UNTIL SATURDAY!!!

— Gauteng Weather (@tWeatherSA) June 8, 2022

The department “is working with environmental and air-quality officials in Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Limpopo and North West to determine the cause of the stench,” it said in a statement on Thursday. It needs to be determined “whether prevailing wind and weather conditions have contributed to the smell traveling over a long distance from another province, as was the case when a similar incident was reported in 2021,” it said.

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