Press Release Press Release

The Environmental Assessment Practitioners Association of South Africa (EAPASA) was appointed on 08 February 2018 by the late Minister of Environmental Affairs, the Honourable Dr. Edna Molewa, as the single Registration Authority for Environmental Assessment Practitioners (EAPs) in South Africa in terms of the National Environmental Management Act, Act No. 107 of 1998 (NEMA).

All practitioners need to be registered by the statutory deadline of 08 February 2020. Renewal of registrations after a period of five years must be supported by the submission of a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) portfolio of evidence, as one of the hallmarks of professionalism.

The EAPASA Professional Development Committee has consulted widely to solicit input from its stakeholders with reference to the structure of the CPD system for EAPs. The draft CPD Guidelines were made available for public comment for the period 30 May to 15 July 2019. When the inputs from stakeholders on the draft guidelines were analysed, three overarching areas of concern were raised:

1. Cost: The number of hours/credits proposed to be acquired by the CPD system was higher than other professional bodies.
2. Alignment with other professional bodies: Requests were received to align the proposed EAPASA CPD system with other professional bodies such as the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP), the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) and the South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP).
3. Categories: There was confusion with regard to Categories 1 and 2 which were deemed very similar and suggestions were made that these categories should be combined.

The comments received were considered and the three areas of concern were all addressed. The EAPASA CPD system now aligns with the 25 credits over five years, similar to the other professional bodies. The EAPASA CPD Guidelines were presented on Friday 23 August 2019 at the annual conference of The South African Affiliate of the International Association of South Africa (IAIAsa) at Klein Kariba, Bela-Bela in Limpopo.

In summary, the system includes the following three categories:

Category 1: Environmental Assessment (EA) Professional Development

Individual activities (List 1) – 10 hours = 1 Credit
Compulsory, but no annual minimum
At least 5 credits over the 5-year cycle

Category 2: Work-based EA Practise

(including supervision of work-place Candidate EAPs)
400 hours = 1 Credit or 800 hours = 2 Credits
Optional, maximum of 2 credits per year, and 10 credits in 5 years

Category 3: Growing the EA Profession

1. Membership of an EAPASA Recognised Voluntary Association Membership = 1 credit Optional, maximum of 1 credit per year
2. Individual activities (List 2) Optional, maximum of 3 credits per year and 15 credits in 5 years
3. Career guidance for aspiring EAPs and mentorship of Candidate EAPs outside of one’s organisation Compulsory, 20 hours per year = 1 Credit Minimum of 1 credit per year, and 5 credits in 5 years

The Board of EAPASA was proud to announce at the above-mentioned conference that The South African Affiliate of the International Association of South Africa (IAIAsa) is the first EAPASA recognised Voluntary Association.

List 1 focuses on attending EA related conferences, lectures, seminars, or workshops, including refresher courses (see EAPASA CPD Guidelines).

List 2 includes presentations to conferences, workshops, or seminars; the publication of conference papers, professional or technical articles, and voluntary pro bono EA work in support of sustainability, environmental and social advocacy bodies, including non-government organisations or community-based organisations.

By focussing on these three categories it is the intention of EAPASA to improve the quality of Environmental Assessment in South Africa and to contribute to transformation through the compulsory mentorship of Candidate EAPs. The Professional Development Committee’s next task is to prepare a CPD Implementation Plan for rolling-out the system. This will involve the development of an online portal linked to the EAPASA online registration system at https://registration.eapasa.org to which Registered EAPs can upload the CPD evidence they have started to collect from the date of their registration. The EAPASA CPD Guidelines will be posted on the website www.eapasa.org on

31 August 2019.

Ms. Snowy Makhudu
Chairperson of the EAPASA Board
Email chairperson@eapasa.org