Greenpeace activists in ‘hospital bed’ protest at Eskom

Johannesburg – On Tuesday anti-pollution activists Greenpeace Africa blocked the entrance to Eskom’s Megawatt Park headquarters in Johannesburg, following a new study detailing the world’s worst sulphur dioxide hotspots.

  The study listed the town of Kriel in Mpumalanga as the world’s second worst sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions hotspot.

  Greenpeace Africa spokesperson Melita Steele said the group believes South Africa is in the grip of a climate crisis.

  “They seem unable to ensure compliance with the minimum emissions standards. It’s a combination of Eskom’s addiction to coal and their dirty and old and highly polluting coal-fired power stations, and then the department which is not fully exercising its authority to make sure that Eskom complies. People are paying the price for Eskom’s pollution, with their health and in some cases with their lives,” Steele said.

  Steele said the hospital beds were meant to demonstrate the impact of pollution on ordinary people. “There are hospital beds and there are ‘patients’ in the beds to signify the people who are actually affected by the pollution and we want to bring that to the doorstep of Eskom.”