ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT PRACTITIONERS
ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AFRICA’S PROPOSED
CONTRIBUTION TO QUALITY ASSURANCE IN
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESMENT PRACTICE IN SOUTH
AFRICA
Sibusisiwe Hlela (Chairperson of the Board)
PURPOSE OF THE SUBMISSION BY EAPASA
• To provide progress on the process of establishing a
Registration Authority for Environmental Assessment
Practitioners (EAPs) as envisaged in Section 24H of the
National Environmental Management Act of 1998, as
amended, as one of the solutions in strengthening the
EIA Regime in SA.
• The first outcome is the establishment of a representative
and recognised association that would constitute a
Registration Authority with an agreed registration
system. This outcome was achieved on 22 February 2012
with the founding of the EAPASA Board.
FRONT ROW: Danie Neumann (Treasurer) , Snowy Mothiba (Secretary), Sibusisiwe Hlela (Chairperson),
Gerrie van Schalkwyk (Vice Chairperson), Karen Shippey
MIDDLE ROW: Richard Hill, Carmen du Toit, Chumisa Thengwa,
Amanda Britz , Sibonelo Mbanjwa
BACK ROW: Garth Barnes, Khangwelo Musetsho,
Paul Hardcastle
PURPOSE OF THE SUBMISSION
BY EAPASA
• The second outcome is the registration of a
qualification for environmental assessment practice
within the National Qualifications Framework (NQF)
in collaboration with the South African
Qualifications Authority.
• The third outcome is the conclusion of relevant
enabling legal mechanisms making it compulsory
for EAPs to be registered. This will be implemented
when the Minister appoints EAPASA as a
Registration Authority for EAPs in terms of Section
24H of NEMA.
EAPASA’s objectives
The objectives of the Association are:
• To promote continued professional development for
EAPs in South Africa;
• To promote the empowerment of black and female
professionals within the environmental assessment
(EA) field and the transformation of EA practice;
and
• To promote awareness of the purpose and practice
of environmental assessment in
South Africa.
EAPASA’s contribution
• The call for responses to efficacy of SA’s EIA regime
indicated a number of challenges and critiques facing
the EIA process.
• Quality assurance in environmental assessment
practice is an essential part of enabling an effective
environmental assessment regime.
• Hence the main purpose of EAPASA is to advance the
quality of environmental assessment practice in South
Africa by establishing, promoting and maintaining
registration of EAPs in terms of
NEMA S24H
EAPASA’s contribution
Experience has shown that competence of
practitioners has a bearing on some of the
challenges experienced in the EIA regime.
EAPASA’s role is then to address competence so
that EAPs can produce quality work and abide by
the code of ethical conduct and practice. The
EAPASA’s Constitution contains the code of
conduct regulating the ethical and professional
conduct of members of the association.
EAPASA’s contribution
• EAPASA will contribute to the efficacy of EIA Regime
in the country by providing relevant authorities,
development proponents and the public in general
with quality assurance regarding EAPs appointed to
conduct and regulate environmental assessments
by:
 Establishing criteria (education, professional experience,
competency and continued professional development
requirements) and procedures for registration and
sanction of EAPs;
 Upholding a defined Code of Ethical Conduct and Practice
and acting in the best interest of the environment,
sustainable development and the public good; and
 Establishing disciplinary procedures
and sanction mechanisms.
EAPASA’s contribution
• EAPASA is in the process of applying to SAQA to be
recognised as the Professional Body and registering a
professional designation in terms of the National
Qualifications Framework Act, Act 67 of 2008
• The Board will engage with the Council on Higher
Education (CHE) through its Higher Education Quality
Committee (HEQC) to facilitate the accreditation of
learning programmes against the EA qualification
Recommendation
• EAPASA submitted the request for funding to the
Department of Environmental Affairs, however the
DEA has limited resources.
• EAPASA is respectfully requesting the Portfolio
Committee to review the allocations of the DEA in
order to enable the full implementation of the
registration of EAPs as envisaged in S24H of
NEMA, as the registration of EAPs is one of the
solutions in strengthening the EIA Regime in SA.
THANK YOU