The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Ms Barbara Creecy, published the draft South African Water Quality Guidelines for Coastal Marine Waters – Volume 1: Natural Environment and Mariculture Use in the Government Gazette for public comment in terms of sections 83(1)(f)(v), (ix) and (xiii) of the National Environmental Management: Integrated Coastal Management Act, 2008 (Act No. 24 of 2008).

The primary purpose of the draft guidelines is to set the baseline standards of quality for different marine environments. The draft guidelines will replace the standards set in the older guidelines previously developed by the then national Department of Water Affairs and Forestry where a set of four Water Quality Guidelines were developed in 1992, and updated in 1995, which were aimed at managing coastal and marine water quality for designated uses.

All comments must be submitted in writing by the following means:

» Draft South African Water Quality Guidelines for Coastal Marine Waters, Volume 1: Natural Environment and Mariculture Use [PDF - 2.4 mb]
» 22 March 2024 government notice | National Environmental Management: Integrated Coastal Management Act, 2008 (Act No. 24 of 2008): draft South African Water Quality Guidelines for Coastal Marine Waters – Volume 1: Natural Environment and Mariculture Use [G 50311 – GoN 4527] [PDF - 147 kb]

For more information, please contact:

Ms Nontsasa Tonjeni
Mobile: 081 834 4080

Closing date: Members of the public are invited to submit comments on the draft guidelines to the minister within 30 days from publication of Government Gazette notice mentioned above, or from the date of the publication of this advert in the newspapers, whichever date is last.