Reporting environmental crimes and contraventions

Protecting our environment is at the heart of the work carried out by our Environmental Management Inspectors (“EMIs”). EMIs are also known as "Green Scorpions" who enforce environmental legislation in the Western Cape by conducting administrative and criminal investigations into serious environmental crimes. The EMIs work within the Directorate: Environmental Law Enforcement which consists of four Sub-Directorates, namely: 

• Environmental Law Enforcement (Region 1 – Cape Town/West Coast)
• Environmental Law Enforcement (Region 2 –Cape Winelands/Overberg)
• Environmental Law Enforcement (Region 3 – Eden/Karoo)
• Criminal Investigations

Services provided

The Directorate enforces the following pieces of legislation:

• National Environmental Management Act, 1998
• National Environmental Management Act, 1998, Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations
• National Environmental Management: Waste Act, 2008
• National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act, 2004
• Environmental Conservation Act, 1989.
• National Environmental Management: Integrated Coastal Management, 2008

The Green Scorpions investigates complaints including, but not limited to: 

• Illegal removal or clearing of indigenous vegetation, 
• Illegal construction of facilities or infrastructure for the storage of dangerous goods, 
• The construction or earth moving activities in the sea or a distance of 100 metres inland of the high-water mark of the sea, 
• The illegal infilling or excavation within a watercourse or the sea,
• Illegal disposal of general and hazardous waste (which includes health care risk waste).

Awareness campaigns include:

• Conducting presentations with primary and secondary schools,
• Conducting presentations with tertiary institutions,
• Conducting presentations with Municipality, Civil Society, Key Stakeholders and Interest Groups, and
• Conducting presentations with SAPS, NPA and other Law Enforcement Agencies.