South Africa - Standards for Trade Describes the country's standards landscape, identifies the national standards and accreditation bodies, and lists the main national testing organization(s) and conformity assessment bodies. Last Published: 10/25/2018 Overview South Africa has a well-developed standards regime that is largely based on compulsory, regulator-lead definition and qualification. Many standards have been developed over several decades and reflect specific conditions that relate to the natural and human environment. The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) is a specialized South African statutory agency responsible for the promotion and maintenance of standardization and quality relating to commodities and the rendering of services. It is a specialized agency of the Department of Trade and Industry. Its tasks include: Publishing national standards. Testing and certifying products and services to standards. Developing technical regulations (compulsory specifications). Monitoring and enforcing of legal metrology legislation. Promoting design excellence. Providing training on aspects of standardization. SABS is accredited nationally by the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS), and is recognized internationally by Netherlands-based Raad voor Accreditatie (RvA). SABS belongs to both the International Organization of Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Accordingly, it issues pharmaceutical and industrial standards that conform to those of the ISO. SABS follows the standards of the ISO, the IEC and the European Committee for Standardization (CEN), and does not automatically recognize the standards of the United States. British Industry Standards and the Deutsche Industrienorm are favored in the SABS systems for historic and technical reasons. Products sourced from these countries enjoy quasi-automatic accreditation. In practice, U.S. companies have been able to comply with South African standards when importing goods into South Africa. Based on a survey of U.S. firms already established in South Africa, the standards maintained by SABS have not been a major trade-inhibiting factor; the automotive and pharmaceutical sectors are an exception and receiving more attention. All foreign suppliers pursuing compliance with South African standards have experienced slow processing of applications for Letters of Authority (LoAs), in some cases to the extent of risking technology redundancy. The Minister of Trade and Industry Rob Davies who oversees the SABS in April 2018 bemoaned the lack of professionalism at the SABS and called for a revamping of the board and an urgent formulate of a turnaround strategy. Manufacturers have the option of paying SABS to test and approve their products. This option is rarely exercised. Though SABS has the right to terminate the sale of products if it receives enough complaints, there have been very few cases of this happening. The standards issued by the SABS are in accordance with the Environmental Conservation Act and are enforced on all imports and exports. All foreign companies establishing themselves in South Africa need to have their Environmental Management System (EMS) certified. This certification needs to be updated every year in order to ensure that the company is observing South African standards. The Directorate of Plant Health and Quality within the National Department of Agriculture (http://www.nda.agric.za) is responsible for setting standards for certain agricultural and agricultural-related products. These standards cover aspects such as composition, quality, packaging, marketing, and labeling as well as physical, physiological, chemical, and microbiological analyses. The Standards Act, Nr. 29 of 1993 gave SABS the power to be involved in the regulations governing consumer protection. There are voluntary and compulsory standards. Only 53 of SABS’s approximately 5,000 standards are actually mandatory. However, depending on the laws, other standards may be considered compulsory as well (i.e., electricity standards) and it may create uncertainty for businesses. With regard to consumer protection, reports indicate that SABS is taking a tougher line on companies that violate mandatory standards. This comes in the wake of the amended Consumer Protection Act of 2008, which, from 1 April 2011, changed many aspects of business in South Africa by introducing new legislation concerning manufacturers and service providers. This legal framework aims to protect the consumer through controls on product liability, sales and marketing practices and fairness in consumer contracts, among other issues. Standards Organizations The following is a list of the major South African organizations involved in the management of the standards regime: SABS - South African Bureau of Standards, the Government agency regulating standards. Website: http://www.sabs.co.za Human Science Research Council (HSRC) – works with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international development agencies, and the Government on large-scale, social-scientific projects. HSRC is also involved in the homologation of academic standards. Medicines Control Council (MCC) regulates medicine and devices in South Africa. NIST Notify U.S. Service Member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are required under the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) to report to the WTO all proposed technical regulations that could affect trade with other Member countries. Notify U.S. is a free, Web-based e-mail subscription service that offers an opportunity to review and comment on proposed foreign technical regulations that can affect your access to international markets. Register online at Internet URL http://www.nist.gov/notifyus/. Conformity Assessment The following is a list of the major South African organizations involved in conformity assessment: NMISA - National Metrology Institute of South Africa develop primary scientific standards of physical quantities for SA SABS - South African Bureau of Standards, a Government agency regulating standards. SANAS – South African National Accreditation System NRCS – National Regulator of Compulsory Specifications, a Government agency overseeing EHS standards and consumer protection. Product Certification Certain items require product certification: Electrical products need to receive Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) certification. A mutual recognition agreement (MRA) exists between the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) and the Accreditation Board for Engineering and the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. (ABET) in the United States. All medicines and devices must be certified by the Medicines Control Council (MCC). All medical and IVD devices must be evaluated and regulated by the Medicines Control Council (MCC). Some foreign companies have significant experienced delays in system certification -– this is generally seen due to capacity issues at the SABS. In the case of ICT companies, this has been a business inhibitor, due to the rapidly changing requirements of end-users, as well as the short life-cycle of certain technologies. Accreditation The following is a list of organizations involved in accreditation in South Africa: South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) – Organization that awards official recognition to laboratories, certification bodies, inspection bodies, proficiency testing scheme providers, and good laboratory practice (GLP) test facilities that possess the capability to carry out certain tasks. Electronic equipment must be tested at labs accredited by SANAS. International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) that determines whether laboratories are able to perform specific tasks. Please see http://www.ilac.org. International Accreditation Forum (IAF) whose members are required to maintain high standards when accrediting companies. Publication of Technical Regulations The SABS is the statutory repository of all relevant standards. These can be obtained in electronic format from the SABS. All proposed and final technical regulations are published in the Government Gazette. To subscribe to the printed (hard copy) of the Government Gazette, please contact: The Government Printing Works E-mail: jpe@print.pwv.gov.za Tel: +27 (0)12 334 4737/4734; Fax: +27 (0)12 323 0009 Access to the Government Gazette is available online through a fee-based service provided by Sabinet Online Ltd. For additional information, visit http://www.sabinet.co.za. Labeling and Marking Important points on labelling/marking: Labeling/marking for industrial and pharmaceutical imports must be provided in English. South Africa follows the Harmonized System (HS) and belongs to the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), an organization that permits goods to be exchanged practically unhindered among the member states: South Africa, the principal administrator and revenue collector; Lesotho; Swaziland; Botswana and Namibia. Note additional information on pharmaceutical labeling. The South African Government has regulations mandating the labeling of genetically modified (GM) food products under certain circumstances, including when allergens or human/animal proteins are present and when a GM food product differs significantly from a non-GM equivalent. The new rules also required validation of enhanced-characteristic(for example, “more nutritious”) claims for GM food products. The regulations did not address labeling claims that products are GM-free. Biotechnology advocates are concerned about this omission, noting it could lead to fraudulent claims. Trade organizations seem satisfied with the regulations, which follow internationally recognized, scientific guidelines (under the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex). South Africa’s Codex representative comes from the Directorate of Food Control.. Contacts The South African Bureau of Standards Tel: +27 (0)12 428 7911; Fax: +27 (0)12 344 1568 Website: http://www.sabs.co.za/ National Department of Agriculture (NDA) Tel: +27 (0)12 319 6001; Fax: +27 (0)12 325 7394 Website: http://www.nda.agric.za/

Goods being sent out of your local country to an international country.

The original copy of each export declaration is processed by Customs and kept for record and trade statistics purposes. Any other documents about the goods exported, including the transport documents, should be produced if required by Customs. Current legislation and policy require specific documents to be endorsed, which could entail the completion of required fields on a form such as findings of an examination, date stamping and signing. To see which documents are required and under which circumstances, see the list of Customs Endorsement Document Requirements. To see how to register as an Exporter see Sars link: http://www.sars.gov.za/ClientSegments/Customs-Excise/ImpExpTrans/Pages/Exports.aspx

Formal quote: A follow-up quotation to an inquiry. This document is not required, but is often used to follow up on a request for a quotation from a potential buyer. Detailed information is given to inform the potential buyer of all aspects of the transaction. Proforma Invoice: A quotation in invoice format. This document is not always required, but is often used by buyers to support an application for a Letter of Credit and/or import license. Commercial Invoice: The basic agreement and payment term from seller to buyer. This document contains all pertinent information related to the transaction. Customs officials use this document to determine duties and taxes on goods in the shipment. Consular Invoice: A special country invoice. Certain countries require an invoice with a special format. This document must be purchased from the consulate of the country of importation or a freight forwarder will have this form. Certificates of Origin: States the origin of the products being exported. This document is required by certain countries or by the terms of a letter of credit to verify the country of origin. A local Chamber of Commerce may certify and stamp this form, if required. A standard document exists, but certain countries have a specific form that is required for existing free trade agreements. Packing List: This itemizes the contents of each package (box, pallets, skids, etc.) This document includes weights, measurements and detailed contents of each package. It should be attached to the outside of a package and/or included inside the package. This document is used by shippers and forwarders to determine freight costs. It is also used by U.S. and/or foreign customs officials to check the contents of any specific package. Bill of Lading: Contract between shipper and carrier. The bill of lading can be either a straight bill of lading (nonnegotiable), or negotiable – sometimes called a shipper’s bill of lading. The customer typically needs the original or a copy as proof of ownership to take possession of the goods. Automated Export System: Bureau of Census electronic form. This electronic form records most exports and can be filled out either by the exporting company or a freight forwarder. It is used for two reasons: 1) It serves as a census record for U. S. export statistics. Many reports are generated using these statistics. 2) It serves as a regulatory document since the applicable export license designation must appear on the form. The AES is filed online, and is used by U.S. customs to monitor outgoing shipments for regulatory compliance. The AES is required for export shipments if the value is more than $2,500 per Schedule B number, and all shipments requiring an export license from any government agency. Check with your freight forwarder. NOTE: For more information on the Automated Export System (AES), check out the website: www.aesdirect.gov Shipper's Letter of Instruction: Company instructions to their freight forwarder. This is typically a multiform used to give instructions to the freight forwarder and to partially fill out the SED.