EIAbooklet
EIAbooklet
environmental affairs
Department:
Environmental Affairs
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
20 Years of Environment Impact Assessment in South Africa
South Africa
Contents
Background to the Environmental Impact Assessments
(EIAs) evaluation in South Africa ................................................................................ 1
The Regulations provides for listing of activities which may not commence without an
environmental authorisation and also identifies a process and reports to be submitted to
the Competent Authority for decision making purposes. The process provides the propo-
nent with an opportunity to assess the potential environmental impacts of the proposed
development as well as provide for identification of mitigation measures to be in place
to ensure that environmental impacts are avoided, minimised or mitigated. Key to this
process, is the public participation element, which is also legislated. It forms the integral
part of the EIA process and comments and inputs from the interested and/or affected
parties are taken into consideration by the competent authority when making decisions
on applications.
The EIA is sometimes cited as a key barrier to development due to its requirements for
rigorous participatory processes and scientific investigation which may often be viewed
as time consuming and expensive.
There is also a concern about the one-size-fits-all application of the EIA process to all de-
velopments. However, this weakness in the overall environmental impact management
regime has been acknowledged and new, more appropriate and effective impact
management tools are being used or developed. Despite this, the EIA continues to play
a key role in South Africa’s environmental impact management regime.
The desired outcome of implementing the EIA process is mainly to ensure that section 24
of the Constitution is upheld, in order for everyone to enjoy a right to an environment that
is not harmful to their health or wellbeing and that the environment is protected for the
benefit of the present and future generations. The EIA process has not been designed
to be a stand-alone process, but needs to be informed by the strategic (broader spatial
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and non-spatial) context within which it is situated. This strategic context is essential in
facilitating the identification of impacts and the significance thereof. One of the key cri-
teria to understand /determine the extent to which an EIA process results in sustainable
outcomes, is to determine the extent to which the EIA was informed by the strategic
context within which it operates. In essence, an EIA predicts impacts and it is only through
the ongoing monitoring of a development proposals after it has been authorised and
implemented that it can be evaluated to see if the impacts predicted during the EIA
process were accurate and if the mitigation measures were appropriate/adequate (and
if they were implemented).
The key players in the process are the eleven competent authorities which are the
Department of Environmental Affairs, Department of Mineral Resources, and 9 provin-
cial Departments responsible for environmental management. Additional to this are the
Environmental Assessment Practitioners, the public, interested and affected parties and
proponents. Government and the various stakeholders make investments into the EIA
process with the understanding that it will lead to sustainable development
1. Legal Provisions
In respect of the Bill of Rights included in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa,
1996 (“the Constitution”), the citizens of South Africa have in terms of Section 24, the right
to have the environment protected and to live in an environment that is not harmful to
human health or well-being. One of the legal instruments developed to ensure that this
right is given effect to, is Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), as detailed in the EIA
Regulations (different sets of Regulations promulgated over time in terms of the ECA and
NEMA).
Activities that may result in substantial impact to the environment have been identified
and which require environmental authorisation by following the EIA process. The EIA
Regulations require that an EIA process be undertaken for these activities and submitted
to the competent authority for consideration. Commencement with any of these iden-
tified activities prior to obtaining authorisation from the relevant competent authority is
prohibited by these Regulations and constitutes an offence. A person convicted of such
unlawful commencement is in terms of NEMA liable to a fine not exceeding R10 million
or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding 10 years, or to both such fine or such im-
prisonment.
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needs to happen in an environmentally sustainable manner. The process aims to,
unless a fatal flaw has been identified, identify mitigation measures to be implement-
ed if an impact or impact cannot be avoided. In this regard an EIA aims to test the
environmental sustainability of a development proposal, inclusive but not limited to
the consideration of possible:
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b. Current EIA Regulations (including the 2017 Amendments)
EIA Regulations Government Gazette Effective Dates
2014 EIA Regulations GNR 982, 983, 984 and 08 December 2014 – end of
promulgated in terms of the 985 Government Gazette day 06 April 2017
NEMA, Act No 107 of 1998 No 38282, Pretoria, 04
December 2014
Amended 2014 EIA GNR 324, 325, 326 and 07 April 2017 – current
Regulations promulgated in 327 on 07 April 2017,
terms of the NEMA, Act No Government Gazette 40772,
107 of 1998 Pretoria, 07 April 2017
§§EIA Regulations: On 08 December 2014 strict time-frames for the applicant / EAP were
included where such were absent in the preceding 17 years.
§§Listing notices: many activities that previously required environmental authorisation
have been excluded whilst new activities have recently been included in the Listing
notices.
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§§Rationalisation of EIA;
§§Development of alternative tools to complement or replace EIA where appropriate;
§§Improved cooperative governance;
§§Addressing capacity concerns;
§§Improving compliance monitoring and enforcement to prevent the authorisation pro-
cess to become just a rubberstamp for unbridled development, with little concern for
the environment; and
§§Environmental Impact Assessment and Management Strategy;
§§Focus Area 1:
Progression of an effective and efficient integrated environmental management sys-
tem through relevant policies/legislation, systems and tools/ instruments for decision
making to achieve sustainable development
§§Focus Area 2:
Enhance and Implement capacity building programmes, awareness campaigns,
including training programmes and skills development within the integrated environ-
mental management system to achieve sustainability objectives
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e. Harmonisation and rationalization of environmental legislation
The current environmental regulatory framework is fragmented and is seen to be ham-
pering development in South Africa. The Department has therefore embarked on a
review process of the NEMA, SEMAs and its subordinate legislation that are under the
administration of the Department, with the view to identify and eliminate duplication,
address gaps in the existing legislation and to align procedures and processes as far as
possible. In an effort to ensure wide engagement and the involvement of other gov-
ernment departments, an external review of environmental legislation that are adminis-
tered by these government departments will also be undertaken by the Department of
Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) to identify and remove duplication and to
ensure alignment. These collaborative processes will be done in close cooperation with
all relevant stakeholders and departments. The review processes aim to minimize the
administrative burden on applicants and to provide a simplified environmental legislative
framework, which will in turn contribute to sustainable development in South Africa.
To give further effect to the OES, the Financial Provisioning Regulations were promulgat-
ed on 20 November 2015. The Regulations aim to ensure that sufficient financial provi-
sion is made to address the rehabilitation and remediation of adverse environmental
impacts as a result of prospecting, exploration, mining or production activities, including
the pumping and treatment of polluted or extraneous water, throughout a mine’s devel-
opment, operation, closure and beyond closure. This seeks to l further the responsible use
of resources to attain equitable economic growth, while advancing social development
and inclusion, and promoting integrated and sustainable management of natural re-
sources and ecosystems.
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i. Pro-Bono Work offered:
The DEA‘s Special Needs and Skills Development Programme (SNSDP) provides assistance
to people with special needs as required in Regulation 47 EIA Regulations 2014. This pro-
gramme provides pro-bono environmental services for people who cannot afford to pay
the costs of an EIA and in addition also contributes to job creation and skills development
by recruiting and training young graduates to gain essential work experience, through
a structured skills development programme in which they engage and are exposed to
various environmental assessment tools.
EIA statistics for the preceding 7 years and 8 months (02 August 2010 to date):
Competent authority Received Finalised Average received per annum
DEA 2760 2554 360
a. ‘Fit for purpose tool’: EIA is not the best suited instrument for certain development
scenarios and the process required to be followed to obtain an EA (via the normal
EIA route) is lengthy with limited results [e.g.one of the listed activities includes the
development of abattoirs with a certain annual production throughput. Industry re-
cently introduced new technology in the form of mobile abattoirs. Such mobile ab-
attoir requires an Environmental Authorisation for every new site the facility would be
established (parked)].
b. EIAs seldom influence spatial development planning;
c. EIA by itself cannot achieve sustainable development;
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d. EIAs for an individual development proposal is very site specific and cannot, with
exceptions, in detail consider cumulative impacts e.g. at Provincial or National level;
e. Unregulated environmental assessment practitioner sector;
f. Quality of EIA reports in certain instances; and
g. Inconstant interpretation and implementation by all stakeholders and the 11 CAs of
the EIA Regulations and Listing Notices.
8. Alternative Instruments
Although the value of EIAs and Environmental Authorsations towards sustainable devel-
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opment cannot be underestimated, such must be supplemented with other instruments
with the same end goal in mind – the goal being sustainable development. The need
for other instruments is provided for in the NEMA. In this regard Section 24(5)(bA) of NEMA
allows the Minister or MEC, with concurrence of the Minister, to lay down the procedure
to be followed for the adoption of prescribed environmental management instruments.
Spatial tools and Environmental Management Instruments include amongst other:
b. Other Instruments
In addition to the above-mentioned instruments, NEMA also makes provision for other
instruments giving effect to the Bill of Rights. This includes e.g. the following:
1 Regulations laying down the procedure to be followed for the adoption of spatial tools or environmental management instruments contem-
plated in Section 24(2)(c) and (e) of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act No. 107 of 1998)
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Norms and standards. NEMA Section 24(2)(d) provides that the Minister, or an MEC with
the concurrence of the Minister, may identify listed or specified
activities that may commence without an environmental author-
isation (and need fot the EIA process to be followed), subject to
compliance with prescribed norms or standards.
E.g. the Gauteng Standard for certain zones within the Gauteng
Province came into effect on 02 May 2018. Proponents undertak-
ing certain development types within these zones can continue
without following the EIA process or an environmental authorisa-
tion subject to compliance with the gazette Standard.
Restrictions or Prohibitions. Section 24(2) (2A) of NEMA makes provision for the Minister to by
notice prohibit or restrict the granting of an environmental au-
thorisation by the competent authority for a listed or a specified
activity in a specified geographical area for such period and
on such terms and conditions as the Minister may determine, if
this is necessary to ensure the protection of the environment, the
conservation of resources or sustainable development.
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Environment House
473 Steve Biko Road
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Website: www.environment.gov.za
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