About one third of posts for environmental impact assessment (EIA) officials are vacant, the Democratic Alliance said on Monday.
DA spokesperson on the environment Rika Kruger said 37% of all posts in the directorate were vacant, while 25% of the managerial positions were vacant.
”The DA believes a number of qualified staff have left because of the way environmental safeguards are been overridden at the top level,” Kruger said.
She said the DA had queried eight development projects where procedures and rules had been overridden by orders from superiors.
Kruger said the DA had asked Gauteng premier Mbhazima Shilowa to set up a judicial enquiry into the matter, but he had refused.
She said as a result of the vacancies, developments were taking longer to complete.
Kruger said the directorate was not filling the posts because environmental watchdogs would scrutinise their preferences to the needs of developers, instead of adhering to environmental laws.
She further said the department was unreliable in implementing environmental protections.
The department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism could not be reached for comment. – Sapa