National Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Report 2014-15

The National Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Report 2014-15 details the activities of South Africa's 'Green Scorpions' (EMIs). It reports a 19.8% increase in registered EMIs to 2,294 and highlights a rise in criminal dockets by 8.5%. The report identifies illegal hunting and unlawful commencement of listed activities as the most prevalent crimes. It also documents specific industrial inspections, biodiversity enforcement focusing on rhinoceros and cycads, and the implementation of capacity-building programs for law enforcement and judicial officers.

• The total number of Environmental Management Inspectors (EMIs) on the national register increased by 19.8%, rising from 1,915 in 2013/14 to 2,294 in 2014/15. Of these, 1,300 (56%) are Grade 5 EMIs, who serve as field rangers in national and provincial parks.
• Criminal enforcement saw an 8.5% increase in registered criminal dockets, although the number of arrests by EMIs decreased from 1,371 in 2013/14 to 1,259 in 2014/15. Convictions reported decreased by 16.7%, from 78 in 2013/14 to 65 in 2014/15.
• The most prevalent environmental crimes identified are the unlawful commencement of environmental impact assessment listed activities in the 'brown' sub-sector and illegal hunting in the 'green' sub-sector.
• Compliance monitoring involved 2,889 facilities in 2014/15, with 58.97% (1,706) inspected for 'brown' legislative requirements, 40.79% (1,180) for 'green' sub-sector issues, and 0.24% (7) for 'blue' issues.
• The number of non-compliances detected during inspections increased by 41.45%, from 1,539 in 2013/14 to 2,177 in 2014/15. The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) recorded the highest number of detected non-compliances at 1,247.
• Rhino poaching remains a critical issue, with the total number of rhinos poached in South Africa increasing from 448 in 2011 to 1,215 in 2014. The Kruger National Park recorded the highest number of poached rhinos in 2014 with 827.
• The National Environmental Crimes and Incidents Hotline received 798 complaints and section 30 incidents in 2014/15. Power generation sectors accounted for 48% (113) of the 236 reported incidents under section 30 of NEMA.
• In the industrial sector, the waste management sector is the most problematic, receiving 37% of administrative notices and directives. Gauteng province has the highest number of non-compliances and a compliance status of only 60%.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2014). National Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Report 2014-15. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/2014-15_necer_report.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. National Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Report 2014-15. 2014. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/2014-15_necer_report.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=National Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Report 2014-15 |date=2014 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/2014-15_necer_report.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centreforenvironmentalrights2014national, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{National Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Report 2014-15}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2014}, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/2014-15_necer_report.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }