Air pollution is a global environmental issue, and there is an urgent need for sustainable remediation techniques. Thus, phytoremediation has become a popular approach to air pollution remediation. This paper reviewed 28 eco-friendly indigenous plants based on both the air pollution tolerance index (APTI) and anticipated performance index (API), using tolerance level and performance indices to evaluate the potential of most indigenous plant species for air pollution control. The estimated APTI ranged from 4.79 (Syzygium malaccense) to 31.75 (Psidium guajava) among the studied indigenous plants. One of the selected plants is tolerant, and seven (7) are intermediate to air pollution with their APTI in the following order: Psidium guajava (31.75) > Swietenia mahogany (28.08) > Mangifera indica L. (27.97) > Ficus infectoria L. (23.93) > Ficus religiosa L. (21.62) > Zizyphus Oenoplia Mill (20.06) > Azadirachta indica A. Juss. (19.01) > Ficus benghalensis L. (18.65). Additionally, the API value indicated that Mangifera indica L. ranges from best to good performer; Ficus religiosa L. and Azadirachta indica A. Juss. from excellent to moderate performers; and Cassia fistula L. from poor to very poor performer for air pollution remediation. The Pearson correlation shows that there is a positive correlation between API and APTI (R2 = 0.63), and this implies that an increase in APTI increases the API and vice versa. This paper shows that Mangifera indica L., Ficus religiosa L., and Azadirachta indica A. Juss. have good potential for sustainable reduction in air pollution for long-term management and green ecomanagement development.

Vehicular emissions are a significant anthropogenic source of air pollutants in South Africa, driven by urbanisation and industrialisation. Thulamela Municipality in Limpopo Province faces increasing air quality challenges associated with rising vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT) and population growth. A reliable baseline emission inventory is therefore required to inform effective air quality management. This study quantified emissions and developed a vehicular emission inventory (VEI) for Thulamela Municipality using a bottom-up approach for the period 2012–2021. VKT was estimated using odometer readings obtained through a questionnaire-based seven-day vehicle survey, together with registered vehicle population data from the National Traffic Information System (NaTIS). Results indicate that VKT increased over the study period, with light-duty vehicles (LDVs) contributing the most, followed by passenger cars (PCs), heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs), and heavy-passenger vehicles (HPVs). Cumulative emissions of CO, NO_x, PM₁₀, PM_2.5, and SO₂ over the 10 years were 32,781.1, 22,326.0, 1367.8, 1291.7, and 547.2 tons, respectively, with growth rates ranging from 39% to 41%. In 2021, total vehicular emissions reached 6647.6 tons, dominated by CO (56%) and NO_x (38%), with PM₁₀ (3%), PM_2.5 (2%), and SO₂ (1%). LDVs contributed 82% of total emissions, followed by PCs (9%), HDVs (6%), and HPVs (3%). A positive correlation between vehicle numbers and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) further suggests that economic growth is associated with higher emissions. These findings show that vehicular emissions are a key contributor to air pollution in the area and highlight the need for targeted mitigation strategies to improve air quality and protect public health.