Environmental compliance and enforcement in the Midlands Province of Zimbabwe

Abstract

Concern for the quality of the environment worldwide, particularly in developing countries has resulted in the formulation, implementation, and enforcement of environmental regulation. A measure of the success of efforts at enforcement lies in whether they secure compliance. In Zimbabwe, like in other countries of Africa, there is scarce information on environmental enforcement and outcomes among the regulated community. This paper uses the Natural Resources Board and the Environmental Management Agency's (EMA) annual provincial data of summary statistics for the period 2005–2010 to analytically review temporal environmental compliance and enforcement activities in the Midlands Province of Zimbabwe. Annual inspections rose from 658 in 2005 to 1705 in 2007 but it still remains inadequate to detect and monitor the range/types of environmental violations. The number of violators brought to compliance in any year is suboptimal. Most violations attracting fines (79%) fall under the Environmental Management Act CAP 20:27 followed by the Forestry Act CAP 19:05(16%). Fines range from US$ 5 to US$ 5,000. As the economy stabilizes and businesses reopen, frequency of inspections, particularly targeted inspections, should be scaled up.