National Environmental Compliance & Enforcement Report 2013/14

The National Environmental Compliance & Enforcement Report 2013/14 provides a comprehensive overview of the activities of South Africa's Environmental Management Inspectorate (EMI). It details statistics on criminal and administrative enforcement, compliance monitoring across 'brown' (pollution/waste) and 'green' (biodiversity) sectors, and specific case studies involving industrial facilities and wildlife crime, particularly rhino poaching.

• The total number of Environmental Management Inspectors (EMIs) on the national register increased by 12.26%, rising from 1,705 in 2012/13 to 1,915 in 2013/14. Grade 5 EMIs, who serve as field rangers in national and provincial parks, make up 65% (1,252) of this total.
• National enforcement statistics for 2013/14 show a 34.52% increase in reported environmental incidents (6,025 incidents) and a 25% increase in registered criminal dockets (1,862 dockets). However, the number of arrests by EMIs decreased by 35.77% to 1,371.
• Administrative enforcement saw a significant increase in the value of section 24G administrative fines paid, which rose by 199.48% from R 5,385,215 in 2012/13 to R 16,127,751 in 2013/14. The total number of administrative notices issued also increased by 22.88% to 709.
• Compliance monitoring involved 2,849 facility inspections in 2013/14, with 71% (2,019) focusing on 'brown' legislative requirements and 29% (830) on 'green' subsector issues. While total non-compliances detected decreased by 61.23% to 1,539, the number of non-compliances resulting in enforcement action increased by 18.3% to 623.
• Rhino poaching remains a critical issue, with 1,004 rhinos poached in 2013 and 166 poached by 5 March 2014. Kruger National Park recorded the highest numbers, with 606 rhinos poached in 2013. Between April 2013 and May 2014, 85 accused were convicted for rhino-related offences, with 50 receiving direct imprisonment without the option of a fine.
• Industrial enforcement efforts in the ferro-alloy, steel, and iron sectors have led to increased compliance, though the report notes that full compliance will require substantial resources and time. The refinery sector also showed improved performance following the National Refineries Environmental Compliance Project.
• Environmental complaints and emergency incidents reported through the national hotline increased by 12% to 796 in 2013/14. Section 30 NEMA emergency incidents rose from 213 to 260, with the petroleum and transport sectors accounting for 55% (143) of these incidents.
• Capacity building initiatives included two EMI Basic Training Courses and specialized training in conflict management ('Verbal Judo'), alien invasive species management, and biodiversity crime scene management. Additionally, CITES awareness training was provided to SARS Customs Detector Dog Units at Musina, Zeerust, and Kempton Park.
• The 'Barcode of Wildlife' project, supported by a US$3 million Global Impact Award from Google to the Smithsonian Institution, is implementing DNA barcoding in South Africa to help law enforcement identify endangered species and combat illegal trafficking.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2014). National Environmental Compliance & Enforcement Report 2013/14. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/NECER-2013-14.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. National Environmental Compliance & Enforcement Report 2013/14. 2014. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/NECER-2013-14.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=National Environmental Compliance & Enforcement Report 2013/14 |date=October 2014 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/NECER-2013-14.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centreforenvironmentalrights2014national, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{National Environmental Compliance \& Enforcement Report 2013/14}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2014}, month = oct, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/NECER-2013-14.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }