Statistics Act, 1999
R 385
National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act No. 107 of 1998)Chapter 3 : Procedures for Co-Operative Governance16. Compliance with Environmental Implementation Plans and Environmental Management Plans |
| (1) |
| (a) | Every organ of state must exercise every function it may have, or that has been assigned or delegated to it, by or under any law, and that may significantly affect the protection of the environment, substantially in accordance with the environmental implementation plan or the environmental management plan prepared, submitted and adopted by that organ of state in accordance with this Chapter: Provided that any substantial deviation from an environmental management plan or environmental implementation plan must be reported forthwith to the Director-General. |
| (b) | Every organ of state must report annually within four months of the end of its financial year on the implementation of its adopted environmental management plan or environmental implementation plan to the Director-General. |
| (c) | The Minister may recommend to any organ of state which has not submitted and adopted an environmental implementation plan or environmental management plan, that it comply with a specified provision of an adopted environmental implementation plan or submitted environmental management plan. |
| (2) | The Director-General monitors compliance with environmental implementation plans and environmental management plans and may— |
| (a) | take any steps or make any inquiries he or she deems fit in order to determine if environmental implementation plans and environmental management plans are being complied with by organs of state; and |
| (b) | if, as a result of any steps taken or inquiry made under paragraph (a), he or she is of the opinion that an environmental implementation plan and an environmental management plan is not substantially being complied with, serve a written notice on the organ of state concerned, calling on it to take such specified steps as the Director-General considers necessary to remedy the failure of compliance. |
| (3) |
| (a) | Within 30 days of the receipt of a notice contemplated in subsection (2)(b), an organ of state must respond to the notice in writing setting out any— |
| (i) | objections to the notice; |
| (ii) | steps that will be taken to remedy failures of compliance; or |
| (iii) | other information that the organ of state considers relevant to the notice. |
| (b) | After considering the representations from the organ of state and any other relevant information, the Director-General must within 30 days of receiving a response referred to in paragraph (a) issue a final notice— |
| (i) | confirming, amending or cancelling the notice referred to in subsection (2)(b); |
| (ii) | specify steps and a time period within which steps must be taken to remedy the failure of compliance. |
| (c) | If, after compliance with the provisions of paragraphs (a) and (b) there still remains a difference or disagreement between the organs of state and the Director-General, the organ of state may request the Minister to refer any difference or disagreement between itself and the Director-General regarding compliance with an environmental implementation plan, or the steps necessary to remedy a failure of compliance, to conciliation in accordance with Chapter 4. |
| (d) | Where an organ of state does not submit any difference or disagreement to conciliation in accordance with paragraph (c), or if conciliation fails to resolve the matter, the Director-General may within 60 days of the final notice referred to in paragraph (b) if the matter has not been submitted to conciliation, or within 30 days of the date of conciliation, as the case may be— |
| (i) | where the organ of State belongs to the provincial sphere of government, request the Minister to intervene in accordance with section 100 of the Constitution: Provided that such a difference or disagreement must be dealt with in accordance with the Act contemplated in section 41(2) of the Constitution once promulgated; |
| (ii) | where the organ of State belongs to the local sphere of government, request the MEC to intervene in accordance with section 139 of the Constitution: Provided that such a difference or disagreement must be dealt with in accordance with the Act contemplated in section 41(2) of the Constitution once promulgated; or |
| (iii) | where the organ of state belongs to the national sphere of government refer the matter for determination by the Minister in consultation with the Ministers responsible for the Department of Land Affairs, Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Department of Minerals and Energy and Department of Constitutional Development. |
| (4) | Each provincial government must ensure that— |
| (a) | the relevant provincial environmental implementation plan is complied with by each municipality within its province and for this purpose the provisions of subsections (2) and (3) must apply with the necessary changes; and |
| (b) | municipalities adhere to the relevant environmental implementation and management plans, and the principles contained in section 2 in the preparation of any policy, programme or plan, including the establishment of integrated development plans and land development objectives. |
| (5) | The Director-General must keep a record of all environmental implementation plans and environmental management plans, relevant agreements between organs of state and any reports submitted under subsection (1)(b); and such plans, reports and agreements must be available for inspection by the public. |
