At least six Greenpeace Africa activists wearing superhero costumes leapt onto the SuperSport Park cricket field during the international T20 match between England and South Africa. Their mission was to hand the Proteas captain Quinton de Kock and his team an air pollution mask. While another team of activists dropped a banner from a floodlight in the stadium next to the scoreboard that read: “Toxic air is not just a game #BowlOutAirPollution,” highlighting the danger that air pollution poses, even to our sporting heroes.

This follows the release of a new study[1] by Greenpeace Southeast Asia and the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) on 12 February, which highlighted the global cost of air pollution from burning fossil fuels, including a shocking 13000 premature deaths in 2018 in South Africa alone.

The activists have been released on bail by the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court after being held overnight at the Sunnyside Police Station.