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Highveld

The Highveld is the elevated inland plateau occupying much of South Africa's interior, with altitudes typically ranging from 1,200 to 1,800 meters above sea level.^[1]^[2] This region, historically known as the Hooge Veld, forms part of the broader southern African plateau and is bounded to the south and east by the Great Escarpment, which rises sharply from the coastal lowlands.^[1]^[3] Dominated by expansive grasslands interspersed with thorn trees and riverine forests, the Highveld supports a temperate climate with summer rainfall and cooler winters, fostering agriculture, livestock grazing, and significant mining activities, particularly gold extraction in areas like the Witwatersrand.^[4]^[5] Encompassing provinces such as Gauteng, Free State, and portions of Mpumalanga and North West, the Highveld hosts major urban centers including Johannesburg and Pretoria, driving South Africa's economic core through industrialization and resource exploitation.^[5] Ecologically, it features diverse flora adapted to seasonal wet-dry cycles and fauna including endangered species like the blue crane, though habitats face pressures from urbanization, agriculture, and mining.^[2]^[6] The region's relatively flat topography, incised by meandering rivers, has historically facilitated human settlement and economic development, but also contributes to environmental challenges such as soil erosion and water scarcity.^[2]^[7]

Physical Geography

Location and Topography

The Highveld constitutes a high-altitude grassland plateau in the interior of South Africa, forming the core of the country's central upland region. It primarily spans the provinces of Gauteng, the Free State, eastern North West, and western Mpumalanga, extending over an area that represents a significant portion of the nation's landmass. Elevations across the Highveld generally range between 1,200 and 1,800 meters above sea level, with the terrain sloping westward from higher eastern margins.^[8]^[9]^[10] Topographically, the Highveld features expansive, gently undulating plains and rolling grasslands, interspersed with low ridges and shallow valleys that facilitate drainage. These landforms result in predominantly flat to mildly hilly landscapes suitable for agriculture and grazing, though prone to erosion in overgrazed areas. The plateau is sharply delimited to the east and southeast by the Great Escarpment, a dramatic geological feature that drops precipitously toward the coastal Lowveld, reaching heights exceeding 3,000 meters in the Drakensberg section. To the west, the elevation decreases more gradually into the drier Karoo and Kalahari basins.^[2]^[4]^[11]

Geology and Formation

The Highveld region is underlain primarily by the Precambrian rocks of the Kaapvaal Craton, one of Earth's oldest crustal fragments dating back to the Archean eon (approximately 3.6 to 2.5 billion years ago), consisting of granitoid gneisses, greenstone belts, and associated supracrustal sequences. This stable cratonic basement forms the foundation of the elevated plateau, with local exposures of these ancient rocks interspersed with younger sedimentary layers. Overlying the craton in parts of the Highveld are sequences from the Transvaal Supergroup (Paleoproterozoic, ~2.6–2.1 Ga), including volcanic and sedimentary rocks rich in banded iron formations, and the Karoo Supergroup (Permo-Triassic to Jurassic, ~300–180 Ma), which includes coal-bearing sandstones and shales in coalfields like Witbank.^[12] The modern topography of the Highveld, characterized by elevations of 1,200–1,800 meters above sea level, resulted from broad-scale uplift of the southern African plateau beginning in the Late Cretaceous (around 90–66 Ma), driven by mantle dynamics such as asthenospheric upwelling or interaction with deep-seated low-velocity provinces beneath the continent.^[13] This uplift reactivated earlier Mesozoic features following the breakup of Gondwana around 130–100 Ma, which initiated rifting along the southern African margins and led to marginal upwarping.^[14] Subsequent episodic denudation, including Cenozoic phases, exhumed portions of the craton and shaped the flat-lying plateau surface through prolonged erosion under varying climatic conditions.^[13] The eastern and southern boundaries of the Highveld are defined by the Great Escarpment, a steep topographic feature formed by differential erosion retreating westward from the elevated continental margin post-Gondwana breakup, with fluvial incision exploiting structural weaknesses in the basement and cover rocks.^[15] This escarpment, reaching heights over 3,000 meters in places like the Drakensberg, separates the Highveld plateau from lower-lying coastal plains and reflects ongoing isostatic adjustment and mantle-driven support maintaining the plateau's anomalous elevation relative to global averages for cratonic interiors.^[14] Geological evidence from thermochronology indicates denudation rates varying from 10–50 meters per million years, underscoring the long-term stability punctuated by tectonic rejuvenation.^[15]

Climate and Natural Environment

Climatic Patterns

The Highveld's climate is temperate oceanic (Köppen Cwb), characterized by its high elevation of 1,200 to 1,800 meters, which moderates temperatures and amplifies diurnal ranges compared to coastal areas. This elevation fosters cooler conditions overall, with summer highs averaging 25–30°C and winter lows frequently falling below 0°C, resulting in widespread frost and occasional light snow in higher locales during June to August. ^[16] ^[17] Precipitation follows a distinct summer-dominant pattern, with annual totals ranging from 500 to 900 mm concentrated between October and March, driven by convective thunderstorms associated with the Intertropical Convergence Zone's southward migration. Winters are markedly dry, receiving less than 10% of annual rainfall under the influence of persistent high-pressure systems, leading to clear skies but heightened fire risk in grasslands. ^[2] ^[6] Seasonal transitions are abrupt, with spring (September–November) marking the onset of warming and initial rains, while autumn (April–May) sees declining precipitation and cooling. Interannual variability is significant, influenced by phenomena like El Niño–Southern Oscillation, which can exacerbate droughts or flooding; for instance, reduced summer rainfall during El Niño phases has historically lowered yields in rain-fed agriculture. ^[18] ^[19]

Hydrology and Soil Characteristics

The Highveld plateau functions as a primary watershed divide in southern Africa, with its hydrology shaped by elevation, geology, and seasonal rainfall patterns averaging 500–800 mm annually. Western sectors drain via the Vaal River system into the Orange River, directing surface water toward the Atlantic Ocean, while eastern escarpment areas source perennial rivers such as the Crocodile, Marico, Sabie, Komati, Usutu, and Tugela, which flow northeast to the Indian Ocean through the Limpopo and Inkomati basins.^[11] These rivers exhibit braided or meandering patterns influenced by dolerite intrusions and alluvial deposition, with channel behavior constrained by resistant bedrock outcrops that limit lateral migration and promote sediment aggradation during high-flow events.^[20] In drier interior portions, such as the northwestern Highveld, ephemeral drainage dominates, as seen in the Molopo River system, where tectonic tilting has redirected former northwesterly flows into endorheic pans within the Kalahari Basin, resulting in minimal perennial flow and high evaporation losses.^[21] Groundwater resources supplement surface water, drawn from fractured aquifers in Karoo Supergroup formations like dolerite and sandstone, which yield moderate volumes for irrigation (accounting for up to 38% of regional groundwater use) and urban supply, though recharge rates are vulnerable to overexploitation and variable precipitation.^[22] Soils across the Highveld derive primarily from mafic parent materials such as basalt and Karoo dolerite, yielding vertisols with high smectite clay content (often exceeding 50%), deep profiles (1–2 m), and pronounced shrink-swell dynamics under semi-arid conditions of 500–700 mm precipitation, which foster cracking patterns and self-mulching structures conducive to water retention but prone to structural instability.^[23] Plinthic catenas characterize many landscapes, transitioning downslope from well-drained red apedal soils (high iron oxides, kaolinitic clays) on crests to mottled yellow-brown and bleached grey horizons in footslopes, where impeded drainage promotes iron segregation and induration, reducing permeability to below 10 cm/hour in subsoils.^[24] These soil associations exhibit moderate fertility with base saturation levels of 40–70%, supporting maize and grazing but requiring management to mitigate erosion rates that can exceed 10 t/ha/year on disturbed slopes.^[25]

Biodiversity

Flora and Vegetation

The Highveld's vegetation belongs to the Grassland Biome, dominated by perennial tussock-forming grasses that form the structural basis of the ecosystem.^[26] This biome exhibits high plant species richness, ranking second only to the Fynbos Biome in South Africa, with numerous rare and endemic taxa concentrated in rocky outcrops, wetlands, and other specialized habitats.^[26] Grasses from the Poaceae family predominate, interspersed with herbaceous forbs, geophytes, and occasional dwarf shrubs, while woody elements remain sparse except in sheltered ravines or ecotonal zones.^[2] Themeda triandra (red grass) serves as a keystone species, widely dominant across the region and defining extensive red grassveld formations.^[27] Other key grasses include Panicum coloratum, Eragrostis curvula, Eragrostis lehmanniana, and Brachiaria serrata, which vary by soil and topography.^[2] Prominent forbs encompass Helichrysum rugulosum, Crabbea acaulis, and Rhynchosia totta, adding diversity to the understory.^[2] Vegetation types within the Highveld include subtypes such as Eastern Highveld Grassland and Egoli Granite Grassland, reflecting edaphic and climatic gradients.^[26] Highveld grasslands are differentiated into sweetveld and sourveld based on nutritional quality and phenology. Sweetveld, occurring in lower, more fertile areas with higher nutrient availability relative to carbon assimilation, retains palatability and nutritional value post-maturity, supporting sustained grazing.^[28] In contrast, sourveld prevails at higher elevations like much of the Highveld, where low nutrient supply limits quality to the active growing season, resulting in coarser, less digestible mature biomass.^[29] This distinction influences floristic composition, with sourveld favoring species adapted to poorer soils, such as certain Themeda-dominated communities.^[29]

Fauna and Wildlife

The Highveld's fauna primarily inhabits grassland ecosystems, supporting a range of herbivorous mammals adapted to open plains, alongside smaller carnivores and insectivores, though populations have declined due to habitat conversion for agriculture and urbanization.^[2] Large grazing species include the black wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou), blesbok (Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi), and springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis), which historically formed herds in undisturbed areas but are now largely restricted to reserves.^[2] Smaller mammals such as the aardwolf (Proteles cristata), ground pangolin (Smutsia temminckii), and African striped weasel (Poecilogale albinucha) persist in remnant habitats, contributing to ecological roles like termite control and predation on rodents.^[2] Predatory mammals are less abundant, with the brown hyena (Parahyaena brunnea) scavenging in drier Highveld fringes, often facing competition from human settlements.^[2] Endemic and threatened species highlight biodiversity hotspots, including the Highveld golden mole (Amblysomus septentrionalis), a fossorial insectivore vulnerable to soil disturbance, and the mountain zebra (Equus zebra hartmannae), whose subpopulations in the region number fewer than 1,000 mature individuals as of recent assessments.^[30] Of South Africa's 34 grassland-endemic mammals, 15 occur in Highveld areas, underscoring the ecoregion's conservation priority amid ongoing fragmentation.^[31] Avifauna is diverse, with over 200 bird species recorded, including the blue crane (Grus paradiseus), South Africa's national bird and globally vulnerable, breeding in wetland-adjacent grasslands where populations have declined by approximately 50% since the 1980s due to agricultural intensification.^[32] Other notable birds include the secretarybird (Sagittarius serpentarius), which preys on snakes and rodents across open terrain, and various bustards adapted to short-grass habitats. Reptiles feature prominently, such as the African rock python (Python sebae), Africa's largest snake reaching lengths up to 6 meters, inhabiting rocky outcrops and riverine areas, though hunted and habitat-limited.^[32] Straw-coloured fruit bats (Eidolon helvum) form seasonal colonies in remaining woodlands, aiding seed dispersal but facing threats from roost disturbance.^[32] Amphibians and invertebrates, while less studied, include grassland frogs (Poyntonia paludicola) in seasonal pans and diverse arthropods supporting food webs, with endemic grasshoppers and beetles integral to decomposition processes. Overall, anthropogenic pressures have reduced large mammal densities by over 70% in transformed landscapes since the mid-20th century, confining viable populations to protected areas like the Golden Gate Highlands National Park, where reintroductions sustain metapopulations.^[33] Conservation efforts by organizations like the Endangered Wildlife Trust emphasize habitat corridors to mitigate isolation effects on species viability.^[34]

Historical Development

Pre-Modern and Colonial Eras

The Highveld was primarily inhabited by Sotho-Tswana-speaking peoples, who migrated into the region as part of broader Bantu expansions and established chiefdoms by around the 15th century. These societies relied on mixed farming, with maize and sorghum cultivation supplemented by extensive cattle herding, which formed the basis of wealth, social status, and ritual practices. Archaeological sites featuring stone-walled enclosures and cattle kraals, dating from approximately 1450 to the early 1800s, attest to semi-urban capitals with populations in the thousands, governed by hereditary chiefs who managed tribute systems and defense against raids.^[35] The early 19th century brought profound disruption through the Difaqane (or Mfecane), a cascade of wars and migrations originating from Zulu military expansions under Shaka around 1818, which rippled northward and destabilized Highveld polities. Refugee bands fleeing Ndebele incursions under Mzilikazi and other groups led to the collapse of many chiefdoms, widespread famine, and estimated deaths in the tens of thousands across southern Africa, though exact figures remain debated due to reliance on oral traditions and sparse records. This turmoil enabled the consolidation of new entities, such as the Basotho kingdom founded by Moshoeshoe I in 1824, who unified disparate Sotho refugees in the Caledon River valley through diplomacy, fortification of mountain strongholds, and strategic alliances.^[36]^[37] European colonial incursion began with the Great Trek of Dutch-speaking Boers (Voortrekkers) from the British-controlled Cape Colony, motivated by resentment over land policies, the 1834 abolition of slavery without compensation, and cultural clashes. From 1835 to 1840, parties totaling 12,000–14,000 trekkers crossed into the Highveld, encountering depopulated grazing lands but also resisting indigenous forces; key victories included the Battle of Blood River on December 16, 1838, where 464 Voortrekkers defeated 10,000–15,000 Zulu warriors with minimal losses, attributed to laager tactics and firearms.^[38]^[39] Voortrekker groups under leaders like Andries Pretorius and Hendrik Potgieter founded autonomous republics amid ongoing skirmishes with Sotho-Tswana remnants, such as the 1836–1837 campaigns against the Ndebele, which displaced Mzilikazi northward. The Orange Free State emerged in 1854 following British withdrawal from the Bloemfontein area, while the South African Republic (Transvaal) was formalized in 1852 after defeating Sotho forces at sites like Boomplaats in 1848. These entities operated as pastoral democracies with commandos for defense, importing labor through raids or contracts, and laying claim to vast tracts via treaties often coerced from weakened chiefs.^[40]^[41]

Industrialization and Modern Growth

The discovery of extensive gold deposits on the Witwatersrand ridge in 1886 initiated rapid industrialization across the Highveld, transforming sparsely populated pastoral lands into a mining epicenter. This event prompted the founding of Johannesburg in the same year and drew influxes of European prospectors, capital, and migrant labor, primarily from rural South Africa and neighboring territories, establishing a dual-wage system that shaped labor relations for decades.^[42]^[43] By 1900, the Witwatersrand mines produced over 20% of the world's gold output, generating revenues that funded infrastructure like railways linking the interior to ports and early electrification via coal-fired plants.^[42] Mining capital accumulation directly catalyzed secondary industrialization through supply chain linkages, including engineering firms for equipment and processing facilities for ore treatment. The sector's demands spurred growth in related industries such as iron and steel production, with early smelters operational by the 1880s and major expansions post-1910, alongside burgeoning manufacturing in textiles and chemicals centered in emerging Highveld urban nodes like Pretoria and Vereeniging.^[44]^[45] Protective tariffs enacted in 1925 accelerated import-substitution, positioning the Highveld—particularly Gauteng—as South Africa's manufacturing core, where industrial output rose from under 10% of GDP in 1910 to over 20% by 1940, driven by wartime demands and state interventions.^[46]^[47] In the postwar period, Highveld industrialization diversified with heavy industry clusters, including the Vanderbijlpark steelworks (operational from 1947) and Sasol's synthetic fuel plants in Secunda from the 1950s, leveraging abundant local coal reserves in Mpumalanga's Highveld coalfields to support energy-intensive sectors.^[45]^[48] Modern growth has sustained this foundation amid economic shifts, with Gauteng's industrial base contributing approximately 25-30% of provincial GDP as of the 2020s, though deindustrialization pressures from global competition and energy constraints have prompted diversification into services and advanced manufacturing.^[49] The region's output peaked in the late 20th century but faces ongoing challenges from declining ore grades and infrastructure decay, underscoring mining's enduring yet diminishing role in propelling Highveld economic expansion.^[44]

Economic Significance

Mining and Energy Production

The Highveld region underpins South Africa's mining sector through its rich deposits of gold and coal. The Witwatersrand Basin, spanning the Gauteng portion of the Highveld, represents the world's largest gold-producing district, with cumulative output exceeding 40,000 metric tons since mining began in 1886—equivalent to approximately 40% of all gold ever mined globally.^[50]^[51] This basin's Archean-age conglomerates have driven deep-level underground mining operations, though production has declined from peak levels in the 1970s due to depleting shallow reserves and rising costs. Coal extraction in the Mpumalanga Highveld, particularly from the Witbank and Highveld coalfields, accounts for about 75% of national production, with South Africa's total run-of-mine output at 296.8 million tonnes in 2022, much of it bituminous coal suitable for power generation and export.^[52]^[53] These coalfields hold substantial reserves, contributing to reserves estimated at 32 billion tonnes nationwide, with the Highveld areas approaching but not yet exhausting viable resources.^[54] Energy production in the Highveld is dominated by coal-fired thermal power, with Eskom operating 12 such stations in the Mpumalanga Highveld, which collectively generate a significant share of South Africa's electricity—over 80% derived from coal as of recent years.^[55] Key facilities include Kendal Power Station (4,116 MW capacity, commissioned in 1994 as one of the world's largest dry-cooled plants) and Tutuka Power Station (3,654 MW, with six 609 MW units).^[56]^[57] The historic Highveld Power Station, with 480 MW capacity and four boilers, exemplifies early infrastructure built in the 1950s to support industrial growth, though many stations now face aging infrastructure and efficiency challenges.^[58] Coal from local mines fuels these operations, enabling baseload power but tying regional energy security to mining output and logistics.^[59]

Agriculture, Industry, and Urbanization

The Highveld's agriculture primarily features summer rainfall crops such as maize and soybeans, which are resilient to occasional frosts in the region, alongside wheat in drier areas. ^[60] Livestock production dominates, utilizing the extensive natural grasslands for beef cattle, sheep (mutton and wool), and poultry, with Mpumalanga's Highveld portion allocating about 14% of land to grazing. ^[61] Crop farming includes grains, cereals, and horticulture, supported by irrigation in parts of Gauteng and Free State, though only a fraction of the land—around 18% in surveyed Highveld-adjacent provinces—is arable for field crops, with the rest geared toward pastoralism. ^[62] Industrial activities in the Highveld concentrate in Gauteng, encompassing heavy manufacturing sectors like steel and metals processing, with facilities such as the Highveld Industrial Park designed for large-scale operations including warehousing and rail-linked production. Key players include producers of vanadium-bearing steel products, contributing to South Africa's metals sector, alongside chemicals and automotive components, though output has faced declines, as evidenced by a 6.3% year-on-year drop in national manufacturing in April 2025. ^[63] These industries leverage the region's infrastructure but are influenced by broader economic pressures, including energy constraints and global demand fluctuations. ^[64] Urbanization in the Highveld has accelerated since the late 19th century, driven by economic hubs in Gauteng, where cities like Johannesburg and Pretoria form Africa's largest metropolitan area, with Pretoria's population growing by 2.27% annually as of recent estimates. ^[65] Urban land cover in Gauteng expanded markedly between 1990 and 2020, reflecting post-apartheid migration to opportunity-rich zones and infrastructure development, though this has fragmented surrounding grasslands. ^[66] Suburbs such as Highveld in Centurion exemplify mid-1990s planned growth midway between Johannesburg and Pretoria, offering access to business corridors and amenities, amid broader challenges like urban poverty and sprawl. ^[67]

Environmental Challenges and Management

Key Threats from Human Activity

Mining activities, including coal, gold, and platinum extraction, generate acid mine drainage (AMD) that contaminates surface and groundwater with sulfuric acid and mobilized heavy metals such as iron, aluminum, and manganese, severely impacting aquatic ecosystems and wetland regeneration in the Highveld. AMD from operations in the Witwatersrand and Mpumalanga coalfields has polluted shallow groundwater, reducing the viability of phreatophyte species critical to Highveld wetlands by altering pH levels to as low as 3-4 and increasing metal bioavailability.^[68] ^[69] These discharges, ongoing since intensified post-1990s mining expansions, exacerbate downstream toxicity, with untreated flows from abandoned sites contributing over 300 million liters of AMD daily into regional rivers as of 2010 assessments.^[70] Air pollution from coal-fired power stations operated by Eskom and associated mining emissions in the Mpumalanga Highveld Priority Area release fine particulate matter (PM2.5), sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides, leading to acid rain, reduced visibility, and health effects including respiratory diseases. The region hosts over 15 major power stations and numerous opencast mines, contributing to ambient PM2.5 concentrations exceeding WHO guidelines by factors of 3-5 in hotspots like Witbank, with annual emissions estimated at 40 million tons of coal burned as of 2020.^[71] ^[72] This pollution has been linked to elevated adolescent respiratory symptoms in local studies, though causality remains complicated by confounding factors like socioeconomic conditions.^[73] Agricultural overgrazing and cultivation practices degrade Highveld grasslands by promoting soil erosion, nutrient depletion, and bush encroachment, with communal and commercial livestock farming removing up to 70% of vegetative cover in overstocked areas. In the Dry Highveld Grassland subtype, overgrazing has accelerated sheet and gully erosion rates to 10-20 tons per hectare annually in degraded zones, compounded by frequent droughts since the 2015-2018 El Niño event.^[2] ^[74] These activities, intensified since colonial-era land allocations, have transformed 40-50% of original grasslands into eroded or invaded landscapes by 2020.^[75] Urban sprawl in Gauteng centers like Johannesburg and Pretoria fragments habitats and converts grasslands to impervious surfaces, resulting in a 31.5% loss of sparse indigenous vegetation cover from 1986 to 2020 amid population growth exceeding 15 million residents. This expansion, driven by post-apartheid migration and economic hubs, has increased edge effects, invasive species proliferation, and stormwater runoff pollution into Highveld wetlands.^[76] ^[77] Habitat loss rates in Highveld biomes reached 1-2% annually in the 2010s, outpacing national averages due to infrastructure demands.^[75]

Conservation Initiatives

The Highveld's conservation efforts primarily target the preservation of its grassland ecosystems, which face fragmentation from mining, agriculture, and urban expansion. BirdLife South Africa leads grassland protection initiatives by collaborating with landowners to implement biodiversity stewardship programs, resulting in the declaration of protected environments under the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act of 2003 (NEMPAA). These programs have secured over 1.2 million hectares of grassland habitat nationwide by 2023, with significant portions in the Mesic Highveld Grasslands, emphasizing voluntary conservation agreements that maintain ecological connectivity and support endemic bird species such as the Blue Crane.^[78] The WWF Nedbank Green Trust funds the Highland Grassland Project, launched in phases since 2010, to enhance the conservation status of vulnerable Mesic Highveld grasslands through habitat restoration, invasive species control, and community-based monitoring. This initiative has rehabilitated approximately 50,000 hectares by focusing on fire management and grazing exclusion in priority areas, addressing threats to biodiversity hotspots that harbor over 1,000 plant species and rare endemics.^[79] Key protected areas include Verloren Valei Nature Reserve in Mpumalanga, established in 1990 and spanning 4,000 hectares, which safeguards high-altitude wetlands and fynbos-like vegetation critical for species like the Yellow Longclaw. Similarly, the Chrissiesmeer Lakes District, declared South Africa's largest protected environment in 2020 at over 177,000 hectares, protects pan wetlands vital for waterbirds and threatened cranes, functioning as a proposed Ramsar site under international wetland conventions.^[80]^[81] The Endangered Wildlife Trust's Drylands Conservation Programme extends to Highveld margins, partnering with communities since 2015 to conserve arid-adjacent habitats through species rediscovery surveys and land-use planning, yielding protections for small mammals and reptiles in fragmented landscapes. Despite these advances, independent assessments note that only about 5% of Highveld grasslands remain formally protected, underscoring the reliance on private initiatives amid ongoing land pressures.^[82]

Debates on Resource Use and Regulation

Debates surrounding resource use and regulation in the Highveld center on the tension between the region's economic dependence on coal mining and energy production and the severe environmental and health impacts of lax oversight. The Highveld Priority Area (HPA), encompassing parts of Mpumalanga and encompassing over 12 coal-fired power stations and numerous mines, has been declared a hotspot for air pollution, with emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides exceeding national standards by factors of up to 10 times in some areas, contributing to respiratory illnesses and premature deaths estimated at thousands annually among local populations, predominantly poor black communities near operations.^[71] ^[83] Critics, including environmental NGOs like the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), argue that inadequate enforcement of the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act (2004) violates Section 24 of the South African Constitution, which guarantees an environment not harmful to health or well-being, as evidenced by the 2022 High Court ruling in the "Deadly Air" case (GroundWork v Minister of Environmental Affairs), which found the government's failure to promulgate binding emission standards for listed activities a constitutional breach.^[84] ^[85] A key controversy involves mine rehabilitation and perpetual mining rights, where operators secure indefinite approvals without sufficient financial provisions for closure, leading to abandoned sites that generate acid mine drainage polluting groundwater and surface water sources critical for agriculture and drinking in the Highveld's semi-arid conditions. Human Rights Watch documented over 200 unrehabilitated coal mines nationwide, many in the Highveld, resulting in open shafts, contaminated rivers, and health risks from heavy metals like arsenic and mercury, with local communities in areas like Phola reporting chronic skin conditions and livestock deaths linked to proximity to operations.^[86] ^[87] Proponents of stricter regulation, supported by a 2024 survey showing 61% of South Africans favoring tighter controls on extraction to curb environmental damage, contend that current frameworks under the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (2002) prioritize industry profits over long-term sustainability, exacerbating water scarcity where mining consumes up to 45 million cubic meters annually per large power station.^[88] ^[89] Opposing views emphasize economic imperatives, with coal accounting for about 80% of South Africa's electricity and supporting over 90,000 direct jobs in Mpumalanga alone, arguing that abrupt regulatory tightening could trigger energy shortages and unemployment without viable alternatives, as seen in debates over the just energy transition where international funding for decommissioning (e.g., via the Just Energy Transition Partnership) faces delays amid concerns over feasibility in coal-reliant Highveld towns.^[90] Government responses, including the 2023 National Water Resource Strategy acknowledging interdependencies between mining, energy, and water, have promised integrated management but critics note persistent implementation gaps, such as unaddressed pollution in the Vaal and Olifants River catchments feeding Highveld systems. These debates underscore a broader causal disconnect: while empirical data confirms pollution's toll—e.g., Highveld's global ranking among top emitters of fine particulates—enforcement remains hampered by institutional capacity and industry lobbying, prompting calls for evidence-based reforms prioritizing verifiable health and ecological metrics over short-term growth.^[91]^[92]

Cultural and Societal Role

Influence on South African Society

The Highveld's expansive grasslands and moderate climate facilitated early dense settlements by Bantu-speaking groups such as the Sotho and Tswana, who developed stone-built farming communities and complex chiefdoms by the 15th century, laying foundations for hierarchical social structures that persisted amid later disruptions.^[93] These pre-colonial societies emphasized kinship-based agriculture and cattle herding, influencing enduring cultural practices like initiation rites and communal land use in the region.^[35] The early 19th-century upheavals known as the Difaqane, involving conflicts among Nguni and Sotho groups, depopulated much of the Highveld, enabling subsequent Boer migrations northward from the Cape Colony in the 1830s and 1840s to establish independent republics like the Orange Free State and South African Republic (Transvaal).^[40] This Great Trek entrenched Afrikaans-speaking pastoralist culture, with Boer emphasis on self-reliance, Calvinist values, and frontier individualism shaping white South African identity and contributing to linguistic and religious divides that defined national society until the 20th century.^[94] Intergroup conflicts over land and resources during this era fostered patterns of ethnic tension and alliance-building that echoed in later South African social dynamics.^[40] The 1886 gold discovery on the Witwatersrand spurred explosive urbanization, drawing over 100,000 migrants annually by the 1890s from rural South Africa, neighboring countries, and Europe, creating Johannesburg as a polyglot boomtown with a transient labor force housed in mining compounds.^[95] This influx diversified Highveld society, blending European entrepreneurs, Indian traders, and African laborers under a migrant labor system that prioritized economic extraction over social integration, entrenching racial hierarchies and urban-rural divides central to apartheid-era policies.^[96] Post-1994, the region's core provinces like Gauteng absorbed further internal migration, with net inflows exceeding 1 million people between 2001 and 2011, amplifying cosmopolitanism but also straining social services and exacerbating inequality in townships adjacent to affluent suburbs.^[97] Highveld cities such as Pretoria and Johannesburg, housing over 25% of South Africa's population by 2022, have driven a shift toward nuclear family structures and consumerist lifestyles, contrasting with traditional rural kinship networks elsewhere.^[98] The temperate high-altitude climate supports year-round outdoor activities and viticulture, subtly influencing recreational culture, while industrial pollution and spatial segregation have spurred social movements addressing health disparities and housing access.^[99] Overall, the Highveld's role as an economic magnet has centralized political power and media influence, molding a national society oriented around urban pragmatism rather than coastal insularity.^[100]

Contemporary Issues and Representations

The Highveld region faces severe air pollution challenges, primarily from coal mining and coal-fired power stations concentrated in Mpumalanga province, resulting in elevated levels of criteria pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter that exceed national standards.^[71] A 2024 report documented health impacts in communities like Phola, where residents experience respiratory illnesses linked to coal dust and emissions, with pollution hotspots bearing disproportionate burdens on low-income areas.^[101] In response, the Second-Generation Highveld Priority Area Air Quality Management Plan was gazetted on March 26, 2025, following a review of the 2012 plan and incorporating updated emission inventories and modeling to enforce stricter controls on industries.^[102] ^[103] Water resources in the Highveld are threatened by acid mine drainage (AMD) from legacy gold and coal operations, which introduces heavy metals like uranium, mercury, and cyanide into groundwater and rivers, impairing ecosystems and potable supplies.^[104] ^[105] A 2024 assessment in the Middelburg area confirmed ongoing contamination of surface and groundwater from coal mining, with pH levels dropping below 4 in affected streams and elevated sulfate concentrations persisting despite remediation efforts.^[106] Legal advancements include a Supreme Court of Appeal ruling on April 11, 2025, affirming state obligations under the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act to address HPA pollution, rejecting appeals that diluted enforcement mechanisms.^[107] These issues underscore causal links between extractive industries and environmental degradation, with empirical data from monitoring stations showing non-compliance rates exceeding 50% for key pollutants in 2024.^[84] Contemporary representations of the Highveld in media and policy discourse emphasize its role as a nexus of South Africa's energy security and ecological strain, often framing coal-dependent economies against global decarbonization pressures.^[108] Reports from organizations like the Centre for Environmental Rights portray affected communities as victims of regulatory failures, highlighting disparities where mining benefits accrue to corporations while pollution costs localize in rural townships.^[109] In broader cultural narratives, the region appears less prominently in literature or film compared to coastal or urban motifs, but environmental journalism depicts it as a symbol of industrial legacy versus sustainability transitions, with debates centering on job losses from coal phase-outs estimated at over 100,000 positions by 2030.^[110] Such portrayals, while data-driven, sometimes reflect institutional biases toward alarmist environmentalism, underplaying adaptive technologies like bioreactor treatments for AMD that have shown pH neutralization efficacy in pilot studies.^[111]

References

[1]
highveld, noun - DSAE - Dictionary of South African English
a. The inland plateau of southern Africa, lying mostly between 1 200m and 1 800m above sea-level; formerly called Hooge Veld. See also lowveld, middleveld.
[2]
Highveld Grasslands - One Earth
The Highveld is relatively flat, with elevations ranging from 1,400 m to 1,800 m above sea level. The landscape is traversed by many meandering rivers, with the ...Missing: geography | Show results with:geography
[3]
South Africa - Geographic Regions - Country Studies
The southern border of the Highveld rises to form the Great Escarpment, the semicircle of mountain ranges roughly paralleling South Africa's coastline.
[4]
Highveld - Geographic Regions - South Africa Nature Reserves
The predominant vegetation of the highveld is grassland, interspersed with thorn trees and small pockets of forest in the river valleys.Missing: definition | Show results with:definition
[5]
Geography of South Africa | Map, Climate & Regions - Study.com
The Highveld, covering much of Gauteng, Free State, and parts of Mpumalanga provinces, consists of high-altitude grasslands that have historically supported ...Missing: fauna | Show results with:fauna
[6]
Highveld grasslands | Research Starters - EBSCO
The region is home to a diverse array of wildlife, including endangered species such as the blue crane and straw-colored fruit bat. Ongoing challenges, ...
[7]
[PDF] Surface ozone variability and trends over the South African Highveld ...
the Highveld (Figure 1)—a plateau with elevations ranging from approximately 1 to 2 km. ... Organization levels over the industrialized Highveld, contributing to ...
[8]
South Africa Maps & Facts - World Atlas
Jul 11, 2023 · The Highveld, a plateau region in the interior, sits at an elevation of about 1,200 m (3,937 ft). It tapers off to the Bushveld towards the ...
[9]
South Africa topographic map, elevation, terrain
South Africa's topography is characterized by a high central plateau, known as the Highveld, which lies at elevations between 1,200 and 1,800 meters (3,937 to ...Missing: extent | Show results with:extent
[10]
Highveld - Wild Expedition
Geographical Location: A high-altitude plateau region in northeastern South Africa, spanning parts of Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and the Free State provinces.
[11]
Southern Temperate Highveld - Freshwater Ecoregions of the World
The highveld forms a rolling, grassy plateau 900-1,900m above sea level and gradually slopes down to the coast in the southeastern Cape (Cooke 1964). About 70% ...
[12]
[PDF] ological occurrence of supergene manganese ore mineralization in ...
The Highveld region of the Republic of South Africa occupies the north-western flank of the Kaapvaal Cra- ton. The Craton is composed mainly of old cratonic.
[13]
The glacial paleolandscapes of Southern Africa: the legacy ... - ESurf
Jun 24, 2025 · This morphology is thought to result from stepwise uplift and ensuing continental-scale erosion of the region as it rode over Africa's mantle ...
[14]
Erosion rates and weathering timescales in the eastern Great ...
Oct 5, 2021 · The development of the Great Escarpment is linked to the break-up of Gondwanaland during the Late Jurassic, with the resulting marginal ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[15]
Coevolution of craton margins and interiors during continental break ...
Aug 7, 2024 · Several studies, such as for the classic Great Escarpment of South Africa (Fig. 1d–f), instead propose that plate movement over a large, low ...
[16]
South Africa climate: average weather, temperature, rain, when to go
Most of South Africa is covered by a plateau, which has a subtropical climate, with dry, sunny winters, during which it can get cold at night, and hot summers.Cape Town · Durban · Hoedspruit · George
[17]
South Africa's Climate 🎖️ Average temperatures ... - Moafrika Tours
Jun 4, 2025 · On the central plateau, which includes the Free State and Gauteng provinces, the altitude keeps the average temperatures below 30 °C (86 °F); ...
[18]
Surface ozone variability and trends over the South African Highveld ...
Apr 9, 2014 · In this work we examine effects of the climate pattern known as the El Niсo–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and NOx variability on surface ozone ...Missing: elevation | Show results with:elevation
[19]
South Africa's weather and climate
Oct 15, 2025 · The highveld region north of the Vaal River is wetter, with milder weather and less extreme subtropical heat.
[20]
Geological controls on alluvial river behaviour: a comparative study ...
The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the control exerted by dolerite on alluvial river behaviour by comparing three rivers on the South African Highveld, ...
[21]
[PDF] THE EVOLUTION OF THE MOLOPO DRAINAGE Cornelis Siebe ...
The Molopo drainage shifted westward due to tilting, with an earlier pre-glaciation north-westerly flow. The current position is relatively recent.
[22]
(PDF) South Africa: Groundwater Management - ResearchGate
Jun 9, 2016 · ... Plateau region (called the highveld) ... will be directed at the groundwater contribution of the surface water resources; river and lakes.
[23]
A mineralogical characterization of vertisols from the northern ...
They are particularly associated with mafic igneous parent rocks, subdued relief, and an annual precipitation of 500–700 mm.<|separator|>
[24]
Soil colour variation between topsoil and subsoil horizons in a ...
The South African plinthic catena is characterised by a grading of soils from red through yellow to grey (bleached) soils down a slope.
[25]
[PDF] SOIL GENESIS IN THE HIGH VELD REGION «5 .SOUTH AFRICA 'If
If it is accepted that all the major soil-types in the Highveld. Region actually represent soil profiles with strictly interdependent horizons there is an ...
[26]
Grassland Biome | PlantZAfrica
The Grassland Biome is considered to have an extremely high biodiversity, second only to the Fynbos Biome. Rare plants are often found in the grasslands, ...
[27]
Themeda triandra - PlantZAfrica |
It is a well-known grazing grass, forming, where dominant, the red grass or rooigrasveld (grasslands) in parts of South Africa.
[28]
The distribution of sweetveld and sourveld in South Africa's ...
Sourveld occurs where carbon assimilation is high relative to nutrient supply, and sweetveld where nutrient supply is high relative to carbon assimilation.
[29]
Veld - Grasses, Shrubs, Herbs | Britannica
Oct 11, 2025 · The veld has varied vegetation, including grassveld, thornveld, and park-like areas. Highveld has red grass, while Middleveld has drought- ...<|separator|>
[30]
Highveld Golden Mole Facts - Photos - Earth's Endangered Creatures
The Highveld Golden Mole (Amblysomus septentrionalis) is a species of concern belonging in the species group "mammals" and found in the following area(s): ...Missing: fauna | Show results with:fauna
[31]
GRASSLANDS - EIA
Mammals typically found in the more humid grasslands are black wildebeest, blesbok, oribi and grey rhebuck. 15 of the 34 mammals endemic to South Africa can be ...
[32]
Highveld - South Africa Online
The Highveld is a portion of South African inland plateau, situated at a higher altitude than the Lowveld. The Highveld region boasts with many beautiful areas ...Missing: definition | Show results with:definition
[33]
Veld | African Grasslands, Flora & Fauna - Britannica
The Highveld comprises most of the high-plateau country of Southern Africa. Except in Lesotho, where it extends well above 8,200 feet (2,500 metres) and even ...Missing: importance | Show results with:importance
[34]
Red List - Endangered Wildlife Trust
South African Giraffe, Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa, Least Concern ; Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus amphibius, Least Concern ; Roan Antelope, Hippotragus equinus ...
[35]
Stone towns on the Highveld of South Africa - African History Extra
May 4, 2025 · This article outlines the archeological history of the stone towns on the Highveld and explores the reasons for their abandonment in the early 19th century.
[36]
Political changes from 1750 to 1835 | South African History Online
Nov 24, 2011 · The effects of the Mfecane. The Mfecane led to the loss of thousands of lives and destablised the region. Many tribes disbanded and the ...
[37]
How the Mfecane transformed the political landscape of southern ...
Jul 19, 2022 · Geographically, the sphere of the Mfecane has now been broadened to include communities of the entire western highveld. Nor was the conflict ...
[38]
Great Trek | Boer migration, Voortrekkers, Cape Colony | Britannica
Great Trek, the emigration of some 12000 to 14000 Boers from Cape Colony in South Africa between 1835 and the early 1840s, in rebellion against the policies ...
[39]
Great Trek 1835-1846 - South African History Online
Mar 21, 2011 · The Great Trek was a movement of Dutch-speaking colonists up into the interior of southern Africa in search of land where they could establish their own ...
[40]
Co-operation and conflict on the Highveld
Nov 23, 2011 · The 1820s and 1830s were a time of great upheaval. There were many wars about land which caused thousands of people to flee to other parts of the country.
[41]
Voortrekker | Afrikaner, Great Trek & Boer War - Britannica
Most Voortrekkers were farming families from the eastern frontier region of the Cape Colony, and their departure is associated with the war against the Xhosa of ...
[42]
The Development of the South African Gold‐Mining Industry, 1895 ...
Aug 6, 2025 · Within twenty years of the original discovery of gold on the Witwat-ersrand in 1886 South Africa became the world's largest single producer of gold.
[43]
The Witwatersrand Gold Rush: How a Discovery Transformed South ...
Sep 15, 2025 · The mines developed a dual labour system that would become a template for racial segregation throughout the country's economy. Black migrant ...
[44]
INDUSTRIALIZATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTH ...
Aug 10, 2025 · The volume of diamond mining, and then gold, led to an increase in income and capital accumulation, which stimulated industrialization.Missing: Highveld | Show results with:Highveld
[45]
South African iron and steel industrial evolution - SciELO SA
Dec 13, 2017 · The earliest ironmaking in South Africa dates to the fifth century CE; but the major evolution of the industry began in 1882 and, by the year ...
[46]
All That Glitters - What is industrialisation? by Emilia Potenza
Jan 13, 2012 · In the late 19th Century, South Africa changed rapidly from an agricultural society, where most people lived off the land, to an industrial ...
[47]
(PDF) Industrialization in South Africa: A historiographical debate?
Aug 9, 2025 · INDUSTRIALIZATION IN SOUTH AFRICA: A HISTORIOGRAPHICALDEBATE? 1. Grietjie Verhoef. (Department of History, Rand Afrikaans University).
[48]
[PDF] Mpumalanga Economic Growth & Development Path
South Africa enabling the Province to play an important strategic economic role in the national economy. The most important lines are the Pretoria-Maputo ...
[49]
Industrial specialisation, diversification, and concentration in post ...
Mar 31, 2025 · In 1994, Gauteng's economy was arranged around several industrial sectors that collectively accounted for 29% of the province's total economic ...
[50]
Witwatersrand Gold Deposits - 911Metallurgist
Feb 13, 2018 · The Witwatersrand basin contribution to world gold production will continue wane due to both macro and micro economic factors with the decline ...
[51]
Largest Gold Deposits in the World – Witwatersrand Gold Fields
Nov 14, 2016 · The gold fields of the Witwatersrand Basin in South Africa are, by a landslide, the largest single gold producing district in the world.
[52]
[PDF] SOUTH AFRICAN COAL SECTOR REPORT DIRECTORATE
The majority of coal comes from the Witbank and Highveld coalfields, which together account for about 75% of South Africa's production. However, these.
[53]
[PDF] OPERATING AND DEVELOPING COAL MINES IN THE REPUBLIC ...
South Africa's coal run-of-mine (ROM) production decreased by 0.2 percent to 296.8 Mt in 2022 owing to weak domestic consumption and poor railway ...
[54]
[PDF] Coal Fact Sheet
South Africa has an estimated 32 billion tonnes of coal reserves, with approximately 70% of these resources found in the Waterberg, Witbank, Highveld and Ermelo ...
[55]
South Africans living near coal power stations at 6% higher risk of ...
Mar 11, 2025 · South Africa's power company Eskom has a fleet of coal power stations, 12 of which are located in the Mpumalanga Highveld and two in the Limpopo ...
[56]
Kendal Power Station - Heritage - Eskom
Kendal is the world's largest indirect dry-cooled, coal-fired power station, opened in 1994, with 4,116 MW capacity, and uses significantly less water.
[57]
Tutuka power station - Global Energy Monitor - GEM.wiki
Jul 22, 2025 · The power station has an installed capacity of 3,654 megawatts (MW) comprising 6 X 609 MW units. The power station is frequently partially ...
[58]
Highveld Power Station - Heritage - Eskom
Highveld Power Station ; Total station electrical capacity. 480 000kW ; Total boiler capacity. 4 400 000lb/hour ; Steam consumption per kWh generated. 8.72lb.
[59]
[PDF] Country Analysis Brief: South Africa - EIA
Oct 29, 2024 · Most of the coal produced in South Africa comes from the Witbank, Highveld, Free ... “Medupi Coal-Fired Power Station Project, South Africa,” ...
[60]
https://www.africanfarming.com/2025/10/22/highveld-farmers-wake-up-to-frost-but-maize-can-withstand-it/
[61]
AGRICULTURE - MEGA - Mpumalanga Economic Growth Agency
About 14 percent of the province's land area is natural grazing land which is used in the production of beef, mutton, poultry, dairy and wool.
[62]
Agriculture in the Provinces - Agribook Digital
Of the 6,5 million hectares of farming land, 18% is good for crops and 82% suitable for livestock activities. In the last agricultural sample survey (2022), ...
[63]
South Africa's April manufacturing output falls 6.3% y/y | Reuters
Jun 10, 2025 · South Africa's manufacturing output fell 6.3% year on year in April, after falling by a revised 1.2% in March, statistics agency data showed ...
[64]
Metals - InvestSA
The country has two major players in the production of steel using iron ore as input material namely Evraz Highveld Steel and Vanadium and Arcellor Mittal.
[65]
Pretoria Population 2025
Pretoria has grown by 65,510 in the last year, which represents a 2.27% annual change.These population estimates and projections come from the latest revision ...
[66]
Gauteng's urban land cover growth: 1990-2020 | GCRO
Mar 31, 2022 · This map of the month provides an analysis of urban growth in Gauteng between 1990 and 2020, recently published as part of a GCRO Occasional Paper.
[67]
Suburb focus on Highveld - Private Property
Jun 27, 2017 · The suburb of Highveld is a fairly new middle-income neighbourhood developed in the heart of the well-established central parts of Centurion in ...
[68]
impacts of acid mine drainage on the regeneration potential of ...
Saline and acid mine drainage (AMD, or acid neutral drainage, AND) from gold, uranium and coal mining has contaminated shallow groundwater in many areas of the ...
[69]
The impact of acid mine drainage in South Africa | McCarthy
Acid mine drainage increases water toxicity by increasing the solubility of heavy metals, and the impact varies widely depending on local conditions.<|control11|><|separator|>
[70]
A critical review of phytoremediation for acid mine drainage ...
Mar 10, 2022 · This review article introduces AMD and AMD-impacted environments and critically discusses phytomanagement, phytoprotection, and phytorestoration approaches.
[71]
The Mpumalanga Highveld Air Pollution Crisis: A South African ...
Mar 1, 2024 · The Highveld region in South Africa's Mpumalanga province has a dense concentration of coal mines and coal-fired power stations.Missing: sources | Show results with:sources
[72]
South Africa - Clean Air Fund
Air pollution was responsible for 25,800 premature deaths in South Africa in 2019. The country had the fourth highest number of deaths linked to particulate ...
[73]
Respiratory health among adolescents living in the Highveld Air ...
Nov 21, 2022 · Our study considered the impact of air pollution on adolescent health in a highly air polluted area in South Africa. While we did not find ...
[74]
The vegetation cover dynamics and potential drivers of habitat ...
Jan 11, 2023 · The FSNBG occurs in the Grassland Biome under the Dry Highveld bioregion (Mucina and Rutherford 2006; Dayaram et al 2019, SANBI 2018). The ...
[75]
Identifying potential protected areas in the Grassland Biome of ...
The Grassland Biome is considered to have extremely high species diversity, second only to the well-known Fynbos Biome, and includes many rare and threatened ...
[76]
Determining the status of ecosystem degradation trends and their ...
The grassland biome is structurally dominated by herbaceous vegetation of tufted graminoids, mostly perennial grasses of the Poaceae family (Mucina and ...
[77]
Rates and patterns of habitat loss across South Africa's vegetation ...
Rates of loss are highest in the southern and eastern coastal regions, in the interior Highveld grasslands and in the savannas of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. The ...Missing: sprawl | Show results with:sprawl
[78]
Protecting Grasslands - BirdLife South Africa
BirdLife South Africa protects grasslands by working with landowners, declaring "Protected Environments" under NEMPAA, and promoting biodiversity stewardship.
[79]
Highland Grassland Project - WWF Nedbank Green Trust
Sep 15, 2022 · The aim of the Highland Grassland Project is to improve the conservation status of sensitive and threatened grassland habitat in the Mesic Highveld grassland ...
[80]
Largest Protected Environment in South Africa Declared
The Chrissiesmeer Lakes District is a proposed Ramsar site (Wetlands of International Importance) and provides critical habitat for numerous threatened species.Missing: initiatives | Show results with:initiatives
[81]
Highveld Nature Reserves - South Africa Online
The reserve houses animals such as eland, buffalo, white rhino, springbok and other antelope species. Various bird species also occur here, including the ...
[82]
Drylands conservation programme - Endangered Wildlife Trust
The EWT's Drylands Conservation Programme works with local communities to conserve the exceptional biodiversity and habitats of the drylands.
[83]
Air Pollution in South Africa: The Silent Killer That Demands Urgent ...
Nov 22, 2023 · The burning of coal and oil are the key sources of this deterioration in air quality. The residents of this region (Middelburg and other ...
[84]
PRESS RELEASE: Minister's #DeadlyAir Appeal Dismissed
Apr 15, 2025 · The 2022 Judgment confirmed that the government's failure to regulate was indeed a violation of Section 24. The regulations are essential to ...
[85]
Justice in the face of “Deadly Air”: What the Highveld Pollution case ...
Apr 22, 2025 · The case involved the long-standing and dangerous air pollution in the Highveld Priority Area (HPA), which is a major industrial region incorporating ...
[86]
The Forever Mines - Human Rights Watch
Jul 5, 2022 · Abandoned and unsecured mines leave behind a toxic legacy of polluted land and highly-acidic water that can harm local communities in a myriad of ways.<|separator|>
[87]
New report describes how coal pollution is harming Highveld
Apr 25, 2025 · People who live in Phola and Carolina in Mpumalanga bear the brunt of coal mining pollution in the Highveld according to a new report.Missing: debates | Show results with:debates
[88]
Mining needs more regulation, according to South Africans – survey
Jun 25, 2024 · Most South Africans (61%) agreed that natural resource extraction should be regulated more tightly to reduce environmental impacts. Views on ...Missing: Highveld | Show results with:Highveld
[89]
[PDF] The Destruction of the Highveld - groundWork
peer-reviewed “Human and Ecological Risk Assessment for Coal. Combustion Wastes” people in those circumstances have as much as a. 1 in 50 chance of getting ...
[90]
Just energy transition from coal in South Africa: A scoping review
There is a need to expedite the current debate on energy policy in South Africa and advance the Just Energy Transition (JET) just transition agenda. A JET seeks ...
[91]
https://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2410-972X2022000100001
[92]
Battle to breathe: What we know about air pollution in Mpumalanga ...
Sep 10, 2025 · This debate has often been framed mainly in terms of economic development and climate change – as we've hopefully shown in this Spotlight ...
[93]
https://oxfordre.com/africanhistory/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.001.0001/acrefore-9780190277734-e-731
[94]
British Occupation, Colonization, Boer War - South Africa - Britannica
After slavers burned crops and famines became common, many groups—including the Ngwane, Ndebele, and some Hlubi—fled westward into the Highveld mountains during ...
[95]
[PDF] Setting the Scene: Migration and UrbaniSation in SoUth africa
It is African contract workers from the region who have formed the backbone of regional migration to South Africa since the late 1800s. Employed in the gold ...
[96]
[PDF] Rural-Urban Linkages: South Africa Case Study | RIMISP
The rapid influx of migrants into cities may in part be a response to the ending of decades of restrictive apartheid legislation which artificially held down ...
[97]
The impact of rural–urban migration in South Africa
Dec 15, 2022 · However, the large influx of people from rural areas has put tremendous strain on cities across South Africa, causing traffic congestion, ...
[98]
South Africa's Evolving Cultural Landscape: A 26-Year Transformation
Mar 12, 2025 · The report provides a data-driven analysis of language use, multiracial households, religious affiliation, and marriage trends over the 26 years from 1996 to ...
[99]
[PDF] South Africa The Land Lands Peoples And Cultures
The central plateau, known as the Highveld, dominates the interior with vast grasslands and fertile soils, supporting agriculture and dense human habitation.
[100]
[PDF] Migration and Urbanization in Post-Apartheid South Africa
These results imply that policies aiming to foster migration can further trigger urban agglomeration forces in high-density areas. South Africa's history lends ...
[101]
[PDF] coal's health impacts in phola - Centre for Environmental Rights
◉ To recommend strategies for mitigating the health impacts of air pollution from coal mining activities and improving community health for Mpumalanga highveld.Missing: debates | Show results with:debates
[102]
[PDF] Second-Generation Highveld Priority Area Air Quality Management ...
Mar 26, 2025 · The main conditions affecting vulnerability to the effects of air pollution in these areas are population characteristics and socio-economic ...
[103]
highveld priority area: revised air quality management plan gazetted
Mar 26, 2025 · Released in draft form in July 2024 for public comment, the revised plan follows a review of its 2012 iteration and associated studies on the ...
[104]
Full article: The troubled legacies of gold mining in South Africa
May 12, 2025 · “The Impact of Gold Mining on the Witwatersrand on the Rivers and Karst System of Gauteng and North West Province, South Africa.” Journal of ...
[105]
Research Activities on Acid Mine Drainage Treatment in South ...
Acid mine drainage (AMD) remains a critical environmental challenge in South Africa due to its severe impact on water quality, ecosystems and public health.2. Acid Mine Drainage's... · 3. Bibliometric Analysis · 6. Recovery Of Valuable...
[106]
Assessment of the Impact of Coal Mining on Water Resources in ...
Jul 31, 2024 · The objective of this study was to assess the water quality status of the surface water and groundwater resources in the Middelburg area, South Africa.
[107]
Environmental compliance – A legal turning point for Air Quality ...
Apr 16, 2025 · In this landmark decision, handed down on 11 April 2025, the SCA confirmed that the poor air quality in the Highveld Priority Area (HPA) is a ...
[108]
South Africa's air pollution legislation must be strengthened to ...
Oct 14, 2025 · ... Air Quality Management Plans, 2024, or the Second-Generation Highveld Priority Area Air Quality Management Plan (HPA AQMP). Sasol has ...<|separator|>
[109]
S. Africa: Phola and Carolina residents bearing the brunt of coal ...
Apr 25, 2025 · People at the launch who live in homes near mines described their concerns about acid water contamination and chronic health problems from air ...Missing: regulation controversies
[110]
AD776: South Africans see pollution as serious problem requiring ...
Feb 27, 2024 · But if environmental-protection policies threaten jobs and incomes, 49% of citizens want the government to prioritise jobs and incomes, compared ...
[111]
Anaerobic Bioremediation of Acid Mine Drainage Using Sulphate ...
This paper examines the current status of SRB-based bioremediation, with an emphasis on recent advances in microbial processes, reactor design, and AMD ...