Eskom cannot take all the blame for South Africa’s poor air quality. Other factors such as combustion of fossil fuels from individuals are also to blame. Associate Professor at the Department of Geography, Geo-informatics and Meteorology at the University of Pretoria Professor Rebecca Garland says South Africa is already battling an energy crisis and is in need of electricity to stay afloat, hence Eskom’s major contribution to air pollution. Garland adds that when Eskom doesn’t generate as much electricity, the air quality still decreases because of the use of generators to keep the lights on. She was speaking as the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights, Marcos Orellana, South Africa stressed that South Africa desperately needs to tighten its grips on its pollution laws. More than 2 000 people have died of bronchitis due to the horrendous air quality.