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Despite ‘green tape’ criticism, majority of environmental projects get the nod

Daily Maverick · 🇿🇦 public South Africa · · 689 words · By Tony Carnie
Government Transparency Regulatory Capture Environmental Governance
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What to know about Government Transparency

An analysis of official government data suggests that less than 4% of all environmental authorisation applications in South Africa (SA) over the last two years were refused, with the vast majority of development projects given the green light.

Claims checked 12
Techniques found 3
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Right coverage
Left12%
Center88%
Right0%

8 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

An analysis of official government data suggests that less than 4% of all environmental authorisation applications in South Africa (SA) over the last two years were refused, with the vast majority of development projects given the green light.

Why it matters

In several provinces, not a single project was refused.

Common ground

Records provided to Daily Maverick by the national Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) indicate that 2,129 environmental authorisation (EA) applications were submitted in the 2024/25 financial year, with only 3.6% of applications…

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Doubt: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-08-10-despite-green-tape-criticism-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 90% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Name Calling / Labeling 85% confidence
Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Doubt 80% confidence
Questioning the credibility of a source or claim without providing evidence.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing doubt helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 12 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 4
verified Verified By Reference 4
schedule Pending 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
info
Claim 1: “Mpumalanga refused less than 1% of applications”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided only defines Mpumalanga as a province of South Africa; it contains no statistical data on application refusal rates.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mpumalanga (/ əmˌpuːməˈlɑːŋɡə /; Portuguese: Mepumalanga) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name means " East ", or literally " The Place Where the Sun Rises " in the Nguni languages. …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mpumalanga
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — This is a list of cities and towns in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. In the case of settlements that have had their official names changed the traditional name is listed first followed by the new …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_and_towns_in_Mp…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mpumalanga is a province in South Africa. It is one of South Africa's 9 provinces. The name of the province means 'where the sun rises'. [3][4][5]
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mpumalanga
verified
Claim 2: “Another 1,762 applications were submitted in 2025/26, but only 2.8% of the applications that year were refused after the mandatory EIA processes.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence consists of general Wikipedia entries for the year 2025 and dictionary definitions. No data regarding environmental authorisation applications for 2025/26 was found.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — IN, In or in may refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The inch (symbol: in or ″) is a unit of length in the British Imperial and the United States customary systems of measurement. It is equal to ⁠1/36⁠ yard or ⁠1/12⁠ of a foot. Derived from the Roman un…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inch
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United S…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killed_in_action
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 3: “less than 4% of all environmental authorisation applications in South Africa (SA) over the last two years were refused”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim is mentioned in a podcast description from Apple Podcasts featuring a Daily Maverick investigative journalist. No other independent news sources or official reports were found to corroborate this specific statistic.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Apartheid ( ə-PART-(h)yte, especially South African English: ə-PART-(h)ayt, Afrikaans: [aˈpart(ɦ)əit] ; transl. "separateness", lit. 'aparthood') was a system of institutionalised racial segregation …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apartheid
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. The country consists of nine provinces, and is bounded to the south by 2,798 kilometres (1,739 miles…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The South Africa national soccer team represents South Africa in men's international soccer and is run by the South African Football Association, the governing body for soccer in South Africa. Nicknam…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa_national_soccer_t…
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 4: “All development proposals with potentially significant environmental impacts (including nuclear power stations or metal smelters) are subject to environmental authorisation by the DFFE or provincial environment departments.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 5: “2,129 environmental authorisation (EA) applications were submitted in the 2024/25 financial year, with only 3.6% of applications refused that year.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of unrelated search results regarding rural employment in India, Tesla cars, and general dictionary definitions. No evidence regarding SA environmental applications was found.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — IN, In or in may refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United S…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killed_in_action
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The inch (symbol: in or ″) is a unit of length in the British Imperial and the United States customary systems of measurement. It is equal to ⁠1/36⁠ yard or ⁠1/12⁠ of a foot. Derived from the Roman un…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inch
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 6: “The highest refusal rates appear to be in Gauteng, with about 7.5% of the 197 applications in 2024/25 not granted.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided is unrelated, discussing car brands, political platforms, and the Otto Group's financial year. No data on Gauteng's refusal rates was found.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In the 2024/25 financial year, the Otto Group employed some 36,300 people (full-time equivalents) compared to 38,500 in the same period of the prior year, which is due to portfolio adjustments that ha…
https://www.ottogroup.com/en/medien/newsroom/meldungen/otto-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Its entry into the market in 2023 represents a bold step for the brand, targeting a young, style-conscious audience. Jetour’s broader strategy is to expand its SUV lineup, which already includes 13 di…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4z5vewcDFw
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Looking ahead to November, the 2024 platform features "twenty promises" to America that the RNC and Trump campaign say will be accomplished "very quickly" once Trump wins the White House and Republica…
https://townhall.com/news/spencerbrown/2024/07/08/heres-what…
schedule
Claim 7: “Mining remains the sole exception and the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR) ... is entrusted to grant environmental authorisations for mining developments under the so-called One Environmental System.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 8: “the refusal rate was also 0% in KwaZulu-Natal, Northern Cape and North West provinces in 2025/26.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The evidence confirms the existence of the provinces mentioned, but provides no data on environmental authorisation refusal rates for the 2025/26 financial year.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Provin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KwaZulu-Natal
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Newcastle is the third-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and is the province's industrial centre. The city has four industrial areas. The majority of its citizens reside in N…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newcastle,_KwaZulu-Natal
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Verulam () is a town 24 kilometres north of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and forms part of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, governing the Greater Durban metropolitan area. This region…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verulam,_KwaZulu-Natal
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 9: “the provincial environment department in Limpopo had a zero refusal rate in both financial years”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
While Wikipedia confirms Limpopo is a province in South Africa, there is no evidence provided regarding its environmental authorisation refusal rates.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Limpopo River () rises in South Africa and flows generally eastward through Mozambique to the Indian Ocean. The river is approximately 1,750 km (1,090 mi) long, with a drainage basin of 415,000 km…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limpopo_River
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Limpopo () is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is P…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limpopo
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Limpopo is a province in South Africa. Limpopo may also refer to: Limpopo National Park, a wildlife conservation park in Mozambique Limpopo River, a river in southern Africa Limpopo (cricket team), a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limpopo_(disambiguation)
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 10: “the DFFE stated that “based on its statistical analysis derived from the National Environmental Authorisation System, the DFFE can state that 98% of applications for environmental authorisation are processed within the prescribed timeframe”.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or refute the DFFE's statement regarding processing timeframes.
help
Claim 11: “According to the DFFE, there are “no known delays” in the processing of applications at the national level.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or refute the DFFE's statement regarding delays at the national level.
info
Claim 12: “in the Western Cape the refusal rate was around 2% for both years.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided is unrelated, discussing rural employment in India, a car review, and tax calculators. No data on Western Cape refusal rates was found.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — financial years from the year of commencement of the project. The project UNNATI is implemented in convergence between Rural Skill division of MoRD, KVKs of Ministry of Agriculture and with Mahatma Ga…
https://nrega.dord.gov.in/MGNREGA_new/Nrega_home.aspx?trk=ar…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Jetour Traveller SUV offers a range of models to cater to different needs and preferences. It is available in two main body styles: a short wheelbase version designed to comfortably seat five pass…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4z5vewcDFw
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Old Tax Regime Slab Rates for FY 2025-26 (AY 2026-27). There has been no changes in the tax slabs under the old regime over the past few years.
https://cleartax.in/paytax/taxcalculator
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.