Every night Chel Rosenberg of Kya Sands, north of Joburg, has to suck lozenges to wet her throat to prevent her coughing, while her two sickly children sleep with nebulisers to help them breathe better.
During the day, Rosenberg keeps her windows closed to prevent hazardous smoke from a decommissioned landfill - which has attracted illegal dumping near her home - from coming in.
Rosenberg is one of about 150,000 residents in the Randburg suburbs of Northriding, Cosmo City, Fourways, Dainfern and Olivedale who have for years been subjected to the toxic fumes of burning plastic, chemical waste, e-waste and heavy metals coming from three areas of the landfill in Kya Sands that have been turned into illegal dumping sites.