Latest environmental compliance and enforcement statistics released: National Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Report 2011-12
22 November 2012 at 4:07 pm
The Minister of Environmental Affairs today released the National Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Report for 2011-2. Key results for the year ending 31 March 2012 include:
• a 30% increase in the total number of EMIs on the national register, to a total of 1399.
• a 9.5% increase in the number of criminal dockets registered and admission of guilt fines issued. 1080 criminal dockets were registered for environmental crimes during the year.
• a slight decrease in the number of cases handed to the NPA from 234 in 2010-11 to 201 in 2011-12. Of the 201 reported during this period, the NPA declined to prosecute 10% of cases.
• a general decline in the number of arrests reported by EMIs with 2384 cases reported in 2009-10, 1988 in 2010-11 and 1339 in 2011-12.
• a decrease in the total number of acquittals from 22 in 2010-11 to 8 in 2011-12, while convictions reported have slightly increased from 72 reported in 2010-11 to 82 in 2011-12.
• a dramatic increase in the total value of section 24G administrative fines paid from R 8,3 million in 2010-11 to R17,6 million in 2011-12 with Vele Colliery contributing more than half of the amount (R9,2 million).
The report details enforcement action underway against a number of large companies for environmental violations uncovered during compliance inspections, included ArcelorMittal SA and BHP Billiton.
The report can be downloaded here. You can download the NECERs for 2007-8, 2008-9, 2009-10 and 2010-11 in our Virtual Library (see the link on our Home page, on the right – through Government Reports and Compliance & Enforcement.