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accountability — English
To be answerable to an authoritative body or person for one’s actions or decisions. In a democratic state the voters elect a political party or a person to govern the country. The elected leader or leaders are then entrusted with the responsibility to govern the state and they are accountable to the voters (the electorate). Should the state be governed poorly, the leader or leaders have to answer to the electorate. If the electorate is not satisfied with the performance of the leader or leaders, they could vote for another party or person at the next election. In an environmental context, every living person has the responsibility to care for the natural and human-made environment and not exploit it for personal gain. We are accountable to all future generations for our actions and the way we execute our environmental responsibility. The environmental interest of the future generations is protected by laws and procedures executed by the government. It actually boils down to the government’s will and ability to enforce the laws. In South Africa, the protection of the environment is enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act number 108 of 1996, the Environmental Conservation Act number 73 of 1989, the National Environmental Management Act number 107 of 1998 (popularly known as NEMA), the National Environmental Management Amendment Act number 8 of 2004, and a myriad of related Acts dealing with different aspects of the environment.
