(Virtual Showroom): On 8 February 2018, the late Minister Edna Molewa appointed the Environmental Assessment Practitioner Association of South Africa (EAPASA) as the single registration authority in terms of Section 24H of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act No 107 of 1998) (NEMA) [as amended] for a period of 5 years. The EAP is responsible for all tasks related to Environmental Authorisations (EA) applications from the planning phase to the submission phase of a project that has triggered one or more activities in Listing Notice 1 (GN 327), Listing Notice 2 (GN 325) or Listing Notice 324) [as amended]. The main aim of the appointment of EAPASA as registration authority was to ensure there is uniformity and reliability in application processes with reference to the implementation of standards and legislation.

The initial deadline of 8 February 2020 posted in Government Gazette No. 43632 (Notice No. 906) was extended by Minister Barbara Creecy on 21 August 2020. EAP’s were initially provided with an additional 24 months to register with EAPASA before 7 February 2022. The deadline was postponed providing EAP’s with more time to register and to provide the Minister to promulgate amendments to the Regulations to clarify some aspects related to the implementation thereof. On 9 February 20222, the Amendment of Regulation 22 of the Section 24H Registration Authority Regulations were published. EAP’s were provided with an additional 6 months for registration due to the late publication of the proposed amendments as well as the number of applications as EAP’s that still needed to be considered.

On 8 August 2022, the requirement to be registered as an Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP) came into effect. Certain tasks have been identified that may only be completed by a registered EAP. These include the investigation, assessment and preparation of EIA reports and associated documents submitted to the relevant Competent Authority (CA) to make a decision on an EA application. The registration of EAP’s ensures that persons applying for an EA have certain core competencies for ethical and professional conduct and are continuously in process of developing as a professional EAP.

Environmental Assurance (Pty) Ltd (ENVASS) is a customer and solutions driven consultancy firm with an established environmental Authorisations division, serviced by highly qualified, registered, and experienced consultants. This division has been providing services to various developers, mining houses, renewable developers, the agricultural industry, and other industrial clients since 2004. Adding value remain our focus, and it is this focus what distinguishes us and makes us more sustainable than our competitors. Our ever-increasing footprint and operational offices enable us to provide cost-effective services to our clients. We have three registered EAP’s who are ready to advise on your authorisation’s requirements.

We urge all applicants intending to apply for an EA to ensure the team assessing their application is registered with EAPASA, which is an advocate for the core competencies and ethical professional conduct in which the application will be handled. To review the list of EAP’s which have been registered with EAPASA, the name and surname of the EAP can be searched for on the following link: