National Environmental Compliance & Enforcement Report 2007-8

The National Environmental Compliance & Enforcement Report 2007-8 details the activities of Environmental Management Inspectors (EMIs) in South Africa from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008. It reports a significant increase in arrests and convictions compared to the previous year, though it notes that these figures are partly due to previous underreporting. The report covers national and provincial statistics, specific industrial non-compliance findings in the steel and refinery sectors, wildlife crime enforcement, and judicial training initiatives.

• Between 2006-7 and 2007-8, there was a sharp increase in reported enforcement actions, with arrests nearly tripling and convictions increasing more than fivefold. However, the amount of admission of guilt fines issued decreased by more than half during the same period.
• As of 31 March 2008, there were 866 registered Environmental Management Inspectors (EMIs), with the vast majority (630) belonging to SANParks.
• Compliance inspections of 11 sites across the iron and steel, ferroalloy, and refinery sectors revealed widespread non-compliance; only the NATREF refinery in Sasolburg was found to be in substantial compliance with permits and legislation.
• Specific industrial facilities were cited for severe environmental violations: Arcelor Mittal’s Vereeniging plant for hazardous waste dumping and water pollution; Highveld Steel’s Vanchem plant for emitting 40 to 60 tonnes of sulphur dioxide daily; and BHP Billiton’s Metalloys site for having over 10 unpermitted disposal sites.
• To combat the illegal trade of rhinoceros horn, particularly involving Vietnamese hunters, MinMec approved a moratorium on the national trade of individual rhino horns and their derivatives.
• The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, with the Justice College, implemented training to improve the adjudication of environmental crimes; by May 2008, approximately 230 magistrates and 204 prosecutors had completed these courses.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (n.d.). National Environmental Compliance & Enforcement Report 2007-8. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/NECER-2007-8.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. National Environmental Compliance & Enforcement Report 2007-8. n.d. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/NECER-2007-8.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=National Environmental Compliance & Enforcement Report 2007-8 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/NECER-2007-8.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centreforenvironmentalrightsndnational, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{National Environmental Compliance \& Enforcement Report 2007-8}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/NECER-2007-8.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }