National Environmental Compliance & Enforcement Report 2013/14

The National Environmental Compliance & Enforcement Report 2013/14 details the activities of South Africa's Environmental Management Inspectorate (EMI). Key trends include a 12.26% increase in registered EMIs and a significant rise in reported environmental incidents. While industrial sectors like cement and refineries show improved performance due to proactive inspections, biodiversity crimes—particularly rhino poaching—remain a critical concern despite heavy court sentences. The report also highlights legislative updates, judicial precedents regarding the 'polluter pays' principle, and capacity-building initiatives for law enforcement and prosecutors.

• The number of Environmental Management Inspectors (EMIs) on the national register grew by 12.26%, increasing from 1,705 in 2012/13 to 1,915 in 2013/14. Grade 5 EMIs, who serve as field rangers in protected areas, constitute 65% (1,252) of the total register.
• Reported environmental incidents rose by 34.52%, from 4,479 in 2012/13 to 6,025 in 2013/14. Criminal dockets registered have also increased over three cycles, reaching 1,862 in 2013/14.
• Administrative enforcement saw a dramatic increase in the value of section 24G administrative fines paid, rising by 199.48% from R 5,385,215 in 2012/13 to R 16,127,751 in 2013/14.
• Compliance monitoring involved 2,849 facility inspections in 2013/14, with 71% (2,019) focusing on 'brown' legislative requirements (pollution, waste, and EIA) and 29% (830) on 'green' subsector (biodiversity and protected areas) issues.
• Rhino poaching continues to escalate at an unacceptable level despite the imposition of heavy sentences. In 2013, 1,004 rhinos were poached nationally, compared to 668 in 2012.
• Proactive strategic inspections have led to positive results in the cement sector, and the refinery sector has shown improved environmental performance following the National Refineries Environmental Compliance Project.
• Emergency incidents reported under Section 30 of NEMA increased from 213 in 2012/13 to 260 in 2013/14, with the petroleum and transport sectors accounting for 55% (143) of these reports.
• The Global Environmental Facility (GEF) has allocated approximately $2.7 million USD over four years for a project to strengthen law enforcement against wildlife crime, specifically targeting rhinoceros poaching and illegal horn trade.

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} }