Abstract
M.A.
Internationally, steel is the largest metal industry and the second largest man made material
industry in the world (Edington, 1997). This is understandable, as steel provides the world
with a versatile and low cost engineering material, which is also widely accepted because of
its ability to be recycled (Edington, 1997).
South Africa has large reserves of iron ore, which is used as the basic raw material in the iron
and steel manufacturing process. This explains why the country is also home to a number of
large iron and steel industries. In 1998 alone, 33 million tons of iron ore was mined in South
Africa. In 1998 the country was rated the 21 st largest steel producing country in the world by
the International Iron and Steel Institute (IISI) having produced 7.7 million tons of crude steel
(International Iron and Steel Institute (IISI), 1999). South Africa is also the largest steel
producer in Africa, producing approximately 63 % of the continent's total steel production
(South African Iron & Steel Institute (SAISI), 1999). The iron and steel sector contributes to the well-being and growth of the South African
economy by creating employment opportunities for a large percentage of the community and
serving as an important generator of foreign exchange and investments, earning in excess of
R 5,7 billion in 1997 (SAISI, 1999). In 1999 the basic iron and steel industry employed a total
of 39 749 people (Statistics South Africa, 2000). In 1998 the steel industry contributed an
estimated 6,9 % to the total value of manufacturing in South Africa (SAISI, 1999). A wide
range of "environmental costs" is, however, also associated with the industry's use of
environmental resources, either as input or output of the manufacturing process. The latter
includes the disposal of solid waste by-products, including slag, and the environmental
consequences associated with its disposal will be discussed later on in the thesis.
Following the growing international concern for the environment, a great number of general
environmental problems were recently addressed in the South African law, resulting in a
growth in the numbers and importance of environmental legislation (Barnard, 1999; Kidd,
1997). The South African environmental law, consisting of parliamentary- and provincial
legislation, municipal by-laws, the principles of the common law and jurisprudence or case
law, is aimed at regulating various important issues pertaining to the environment and of
which the management of solid waste disposal forms an integral part (Barnard, 1999; Kidd,
1997). The disposal of solid waste, which includes the by-product slag produced by the iron
and steel industries, forms a potential source of environmental pollution and is currently
regulated in a fragmented and "haphazard and uncoordinated manner" (Fuggle & Rabie,
1992, p. 511), making access to various sources of law a difficult matter. The South African environmental laws are generally regarded as "ineffective" owing to the
lack of adequate enforcement and the effective administration and management of environmental quality. An ignorant steel industry can and will however still run the risk of
criminal prosecution and civil actions being brought against them by third parties who are
detrimentally affected by the environmental pollution caused by the slag disposal practices of
an industry (Bethlehem & Goldblatt, 1997).
The main aim of this study is therefore to examine the potential impacts that indiscriminate
slag disposal practices might have on the environment, as well as the environmental
management principles and —tools developed to avoid or mitigate these impacts. The study
will be of importance as it creates a better understanding of the broad basis of environmental
laws specifically pertaining to slag disposal practices. It is furthermore aimed at limiting the
risks of directors being criminally prosecuted and civil claims being instituted against a steel
industry, while it stresses the general usefulness of departmental guidelines and -standards
in achieving the goals of environmental management.