ACCOUNTABILITY GAPS: Environmental ‘watchdog’ barks, but hides names of malpractice offenders

South Africa’s environmental watchdog has opened its disciplinary files, but only slightly. Five years after Daily Maverick began asking how the profession polices ethical and professional conduct, the Environmental Assessment Practitioners Association of South Africa has released a partial record of action against its members.

Eapasa said it had received 69 formal and informal written complaints against registered and candidate environmental assessment practitioners. Of more than 2,500 registered members, five had been found guilty of malpractice. The association has not disclosed their names or explained the misconduct involved.

That refusal appears to clash with Eapasa’s earlier promise to name and shame practitioners found guilty of malpractice, demonstrating that the body “has teeth”. Its original malpractice rules required the publication of all findings and sanctions imposed by its Professional Conduct and Appeals Committees on the Eapasa website.

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About four months ago, on 18 May 2026, the policy changed. It now says the registrar may publish findings and sanctions at the discretion of the Professional Conduct Committee, following the registrar’s recommendation and depending on the merits of each case. Registrar and CEO Patrick Sithole declined to say whether the five findings predated or followed that change, citing “a number of administrative and legal reasons”.

The association was conceptualised in 2012 at the government’s insistence and formally established in 2018. Compulsory registration began that year, while a formal malpractice policy appears to have been finalised only in 2019. Environmental assessment practitioners include private consultants and state officials who prepare or assess environmental impact studies. Eapasa eventually responded after ignoring written questions sent in May 2021 and June 2026, presenting its disclosure as an update on complaints against registered members.

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Eapasa is not in a position to provide the names of those five individuals due to a number of administrative and legal reasons. I hope you understand.