National Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Report 2014-15

The National Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Report 2014-15 provides a comprehensive overview of the activities of South Africa's Environmental Management Inspectorate (EMI), known as the 'Green Scorpions'. The report details the growth of EMI capacity, national compliance and enforcement statistics, legislative developments, and specific operational outcomes across the 'green' (biodiversity), 'brown' (pollution and waste), and 'blue' (marine and coastal) sectors. It highlights a significant increase in the number of designated inspectors and a focus on high-risk areas such as rhino poaching and industrial pollution.

• 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. Grade 5 EMIs, who serve as field rangers in national and provincial parks, make up 56% (1,300) of this total.
• Criminal enforcement statistics show mixed trends: while criminal dockets registered increased by 8.5%, the number of arrests by EMIs decreased from 1,818 in 2012/13 to 1,259 in 2014/15. Convictions also decreased by 16.7%, from 78 in 2013/14 to 65 in 2014/15.
• Compliance monitoring in 2014/15 involved 2,889 facilities, with the majority (58.97%) inspected against 'brown' (pollution and waste) legislative requirements, 40.79% for 'green' (biodiversity) issues, and 0.24% for 'blue' (marine and coastal) issues. Non-compliances detected increased by 41.45% to 2,177.
• Rhino poaching remains a critical issue, with 1,215 rhinos poached in South Africa in 2014, an increase from 1,004 in 2013. The Kruger National Park recorded the highest number of poaching incidents with 827 cases in 2014.
• The waste management sector is the most problematic for the national Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), accounting for 47% of total enforcement actions and 64% of prosecutions. Gauteng province is the primary center for these issues, containing more waste management cases than the other eight provinces combined.
• Administrative enforcement is the preferred tool for 'brown' issues, with the Western Cape DEADP issuing the highest number of administrative enforcement notices (165). In contrast, criminal convictions are dominated by the 'green' subsector, with Limpopo DEDET recording the most convictions.
• The National Environmental Crimes and Incidents Hotline received 798 reports in 2014/15. Section 30 NEMA incidents were most prevalent in the power generation sector (48%) and rail transport (17%).
• Significant legal precedents were established, including a Labour Appeal Court ruling that protected a whistle-blower who disclosed water pollution caused by a mining operation, and a Supreme Court of Appeal ruling that an attempt to sell an imitation rhino horn constituted fraud because it had the potential to prejudice the country.
• The Inspectorate has expanded its reach to ports of entry, deploying EMIs at OR Tambo International Airport from April 1, 2015, to combat wildlife crime and ensure compliance with CITES and TOPS regulations.

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} }