The Western Cape Government, through the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEA&DP), implements systems and provides an oversight role in the province with respect to air quality management. In line with Section 15 (1) of the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act (Act 39 of 2004) (NEM: AQA) Provinces and Municipalities are required to develop Air Quality Management Plans to manage air quality in their regions. For it to be effective, the AQMP needs to be reviewed every 5 years to establish whether the identified goals and targets have been effectively implemented.

DEA & DP Ref No. 16/3/3/1/F4/18/3031/19

The audit reports are in compliance with Conditions 14.1  and 14.2 of the EA where it is stated:

14.1 The holder must undertake an environmental audit within 3 (three) months of the commencement of the development/construction activities and submit an Environmental Audit Report to the Competent Authority upon the completion of the environmental audit. 

14.2  A final Environmental Audit Report must be submitted to the Competent Authority 1 (one) month after the completion of the development activities. 

Click on a link below to access a PDF version.

• Nadeson Middelpos Stormwater Environmental Audit Report: May 2023
• Nadeson Middelpos Stormwater Environmental Audit Report: March 2024

Saldanha Bay Municipality (SBM), recognises the intensifying consequences of climate change and has developed the SBM Climate Change Response Plan. This plan, based on the National Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (CRVA) Framework, provides a standardised approach to assess climate risks and vulnerabilities across sectors and regions. Projections for SBM indicate temperature increases, more frequent droughts, and heat stress, with a consistent drying trend. The findings provide valuable information for developing a targeted Climate Change Response Strategy (CCRS) that addresses specific challenges and builds resilience in SBM.

Click on a link below to access a PDF version.

• Climate Change Plan (zip file): Published 07 June 2023

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• Heritage Survey Documents (zip file) – Published: 01 December 2021

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• Seaweed Management Policy
• Tree Management Policy
• Environmental Policy
• Marine Stranding Policy and Protocol

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• Cape Columbine Protected Area Management Plan – Published: 21 October 2019
• Hopefield Private Nature Reserve Protected Area Management Plan – Published: 21 October 2019

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• Invasive species monitoring, control and eradication plan for the Saldanha Bay Municipality – Published: 20 October 2019.
• Draft Environmental Management Framework for the Grat Saldanha Area – Published 22 September 2020

ALL PLANTS ARE NOT EQUAL: Echium plantagineum

13 May 2022

Commonly referred to as Paterson’s or Patterson’s curse (Echium plantagineum), this lilac-flowering invasive weed is flourishing across the Western Cape. Not many people are aware that it is an invasive weed, and because of its beautiful purple flower they think it is harmless.

Bees love it. Horses and cattle get sick if they eat it and may even die. Commonly referred to as Paterson’s or Patterson’s curse (Echium plantagineum), this lilac-flowering invasive weed is flourishing across the Western Cape. Not many people are aware that it is an invasive weed, and because of its beautiful purple flower they think it is harmless.

Patterson’s Curse which was introduced to South Africa as an ornamental species has become a significant threat not only to the natural diversity but also to cultivated crops and pasture species of the area by out-competing them for space, water and sunlight. A dense population of echium can produce a seed bank of up to 30,000 seeds per square meter.

NOT ALL PLANTS ARE EQUAL: SALSOLA SP

04 May 2022

As Salsola sp rolls down the road, tumbleweeds do what they do best, disperse seeds, which typically number 250,000 per plant! It is  a highly problematic, tough, unpalatable plant that clogs up storm water channels and competes with native species. It can rapidly colonise new areas, especially overgrazed, bare and eroded soil. The plants are unpalatable leading to selective grazing by domestic stock which exacerbates existing overgrazing and opens the way for further tumbleweed invasion.

NOT ALL PLANTS ARE EQUAL: AGAVE AMERICANA

20 April 2022

Century plants are popular ornamental plants that are native to Central America, southern North and northern South America. Agave americana is no exception and as a result of its widespread cultivation, has become naturalised in many regions globally, including South Africa. Although it is often called the ‘American aloe’, it is not at all related to members of the genus Aloe, many of which are indigenous to South Africa.

Agave americana is a suckering, evergreen monocarpic, multi-annual, with very large, succulent leaves arranged in a rosette, often reaching a height of 2 m. The long lanceolate (sword-shaped) leaves, 0.8–2.0 × 0.15–0.25 m, are borne on a short stem thickened by the prominent leaf bases. Leaves are grey-green, sometimes with a pale central stripe or yellow leaf margins, and a waxy coating. Leaf margins are nearly straight to crenate, creamy white and armed with variable teeth of up to 10 mm long and 10–40 mm apart. The apices of leaves bear sharp, dark brown, conical or subulate spines of mostly 20–60 mm long.

MYOPORUM INSULARE BROWN – MANATOKA (ZA)

11 April 2022

The silent invasion by Johan West

Myoporum is a genus of about 30 species, of which sixteen are found in Australia. M. insulare has a variable growth habit and may be a dense or open shrub or small tree to about 6 metres tall. M. insulare, commonly known in South Africa Manatoka and as Common Boobialla or Native Juniper in Australia is a species of flowering plant in the figwort family Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to coastal areas of southern Australia. It is a shrub or small tree which grows on dunes and coastal cliffs, is very salt tolerant and widely used in horticulture.

Manatoka varies in form from a prostrate shrub to a small, erect tree growing to a height of 6 m (20 ft). It has thick, smooth green leaves which are 30–90 mm (1.2–3.5 in) long and 7–22 mm (0.28–0.87 in) wide with edges that are either untoothed or toothed toward the apex. The leaves are egg-shaped, and the upper and lower surfaces are the same dull green colour.

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• Off road vehicles (English) – Plubished: 13 December 2023
• Off Road Vehicles (Afrikaans) – Plubished: 13 December 2023
• Estuaries of the Western Cape – Published: 26 February 2020
• Estuarine Management Plans – Published: 26 February 2020
• Gazette Public Boat Launching Sites – Published: 20 October 2019
• Second Generation Coastal Management Programme 2019 – 2024 – Published: 20 Ocotber2019

SOUTH AFRICAN WHALE DISENTANGLEMENT NETWORK (SAWDN) – 219-529 NPO

08 February 2022

The South African Whale Disentanglement Network (SAWDN) is a nonprofit organization, collaborating with local and international organizations to reduce the suffering of entangled cetaceans, by releasing entrapped cetaceans in active fishing gear (including abandoned, lost or discarded gear).

Releasing stressed entangled whales is a dangerous operation and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) have provided SAWDN with a permit to disentangle cetaceans based on their international training and success since their establishment 15 years ago.

Saldanha Bay municipality approved the Jacobsbaai/bay and Paternoster operational management plans for the approved Public Launch sites in terms of the National Environmental Management: Integrated Coastal Management Act, 24 0f 2005.

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• Jacobsbaai Public Launch Site Operational Plan
• Paternoster Beach Public Launch Site Operational Plan

Western Cape Provincial Coastal Access Audit -West Coast Municipal District

The Western Cape Provincial Coastal Access Strategy and Plan (WC PCASP) requires an audit of all coastal access sites along the provincial coastline to provide an inventory of what sites exist, their conditions, any conflicts and improvements required. Such an audit of coastal access sites and nodes in the West Coast District Municipality was conducted in January and February 2019.

The audit took the form of detailed site inspections using the checklist developed in the WC PCASP as a basis combined with workshops held with stakeholders to obtain additional information.

Click on a link below to access a PDF version.

• Western Cape Provincial Coastal Access Audit – West Coast Municipal District, Main Report: November 2019
• Western Cape Provincial Coastal Access Audit – West Coast Municipal District, Appendix 1: Maps and Tables
• Western Cape Provincial Coastal Access Audit – Garden Route Municipal District, Appendix 2: Stakeholder Submissions – October 2019
• Western Cape Provincial Coastal Access Audit – West Coast Municipal District, Appendix 3: Stakeholder Documentation – October 2019

The Department of Environmental Affair and Development Planning has embarked on creating the Greater Saldanha Bay Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), Monitoring and decision support system– phase 1 Risk and resilience assessment of natural capital in the greater Saldanha Bay Municipality.

• Risk and resilience assessment of natural capital in the greater Saldanha Bay Municipality (Download PDF) – Published: 8 April 2022

The Municipality’s monitoring network consists of two fully automated ambient air quality monitoring stations and seven dust fallout monitoring sites. These sites are designed to measure criteria pollutants including sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide(NO2), oxides of nitrogen(NOX), ozone (O3), particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), dust fall out and meterological parameters (weather conditions). Ambient air quality monitoring must include current weather conditions.

• Draft: Air Quality Management Plan 2018-2019 – Published: 04 July 2019

Please contact René Toesie at rene.toesie@sbm.gov.za to request the air quality monitoring and dust fallout reports for 2014 to 2020.

CAWS – CLEAN AIR WARRIORS OF SALDANHA BAY

• What is Air Pollution: Click here to read more
• How does Air Pollutants affect a person: Click here to read more
• What is Dust: Click here to read more 
• How does Dust affect a person: Click here to read more 
• Introduction to SBM’s ambient air quality monitoring network – Pollutant no 1: Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2): Click here to read more 
• Introduction to SBM’s ambient air quality monitoring network – Pollutant no 2: Ozone (O3): Click here to read more