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VIDEO – Middelburg’s newest Parliamentarian gives scorching maiden speech on deadly air pollution in Highveld Priority Area

Newly inducted DA parliamentarian, Ms Annerie Weber, delivered her maiden speech in the National Assembly, highlighting the plight of Mpumalanga Highveld residents who are dying because of air pollution.

July 15, 2019

Gerhard Rheeder 1 minute read

Ms Weber has had a meteoric rise within the party of late, serving as the Mpumalanga DA Woman’s Network Chairperson.
She also served as a councillor in the Nkangala District Municipality before being called to Parliament.

On Thursday she tackled one of the most worrying issues facing Highveld residents, living in the world’s most air-polluted area.

A number of health factors have been attributed to air-pollution like lung cancer, eye cancer and a slew of cardiovascular diseases.
Ms Weber took the ANC to task on the party’s reluctance to implement control measures.

Government has declared the Highveld a priority area in 2007, but no measures have been implemented to cut toxic emissions from our coal plants, Sasol and the steel industry.

In 2012, an air quality management plan was introduced by government, but none of the recommendations have been implemented.

In 2019 nothing has been done to reduce air pollution in the global number one spot for nitrogen dioxide emissions.

She said that the people are angry and that violators and polluters face no consequences.
She says residents are told by doctors to move away from the pollution.

Ms Weber added that the ruling party should be ashamed of themselves for failing hundreds of thousands of South Africans residing in the toxic cloud of pollution.

Following the speech, she got a standing ovation.