In due course, this page will provide a comprehensive guide on how best to report violations of environmental legislation to the appropriate authorities. Watch this space!
National Environmental Crimes & Incidents Hotline (24 hours): 0800 205 005
In addition, there are a number of national and provincial hotlines that may be useful for the reporting of environmental crimes, gathering information and identifying the right authorities and their contact information. The hotlines numbers and descriptions can be downloaded here.
Download the DEA booklet Stepping Up Enforcement here.
For those of you who have opened a criminal docket and are looking for a prosecutor in a particular area who is interested and trained in environmental crimes, you can download the full list of prosecutors who have attended Justice College’s training courses on the prosecution of environmental crimes here.
When Mines Break Environmental Laws: How to Use Criminal Prosecution to Enforce Environmental Rights
Civil society, community based organisations, communities and individuals have a critical role to play in the enforcement and monitoring of environmental violations by mining companies. One of the key tools available to these affected parties is the reporting of criminal activities by mining companies. The Centre’s guide When Mines Break Environmental Laws: How to Use Criminal Prosecution to Enforce Environmental Rights is an accessible, easy-to-use guide to the criminal process, and comes with a schedule of criminal offences potentially applicable to mining activities (which will be updated from time to time). In publishing and distributing this guide, the Centre hopes to empower communities and other affected parties to hold mining companies that operate in criminal contravention of the law, who operate without water use licences or environmental authorisations or in non-compliance with their environmental management plans and social and labour plans, to account and to ensure their rights and interests are protected.
Download the booklet and schedules here:
- When Mines Break Environmental Laws: How to Use Criminal Prosecution to Enforce Environmental Rights
- Schedules: Offences and Penalties
If you would like a hardcopy of the guide, please email mining@cer.org.za.