010 634 4073 info@certafrica.co.za

General Information

Geographical Spread

Certification and Training Services for Africa (Pty) Ltd, (Cert Africa), Reg. no. 2012/468095/07 is registered in South Africa, which has its offices at 26 Gulfstream Boulevard, Highveld Ext 47, Centurion, Gauteng, South Africa.

Information on geographical in which Cert Africa operates is available on request. Please contact us for requests.

Advertising Certification

Cert Africa client or any other person may not claim or refer to the Relevant Scheme in an advertisement or other form of publicity, to give the impression that Cert Africa has approved the quality of the client Services and or Products. The client acknowledges that it is its management system that is the subject of Certification and not the client Services/Products.

The logos of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the logos of Cert Africa’s Accreditation Bodies (SANAS) may not be utilised in any way whatsoever.

The use of Scheme Logo and or Certification Marks

Cert Africa has established rules governing the use of logo or certification marks including The Organisation acknowledges that: There shall be no ambiguity in the mark or accompanying text, as to what is being certified and the Cert Africa name must be always displayed as a certifying body.

Upon Certification, the certified Organisation may use the Scheme Logo to indicate participation in the Relevant scheme. All rights in the scheme logo belong to or are duly licensed to Cert Africa.

  • The scheme logo shall not be applied to laboratory test, calibration, or inspection reports or on any other documentation, which may be deemed as an Organisation Service/Product.
  • The scheme logo may only be used by the Organisation whilst it maintains a valid Certificate of Registration issued by Cert Africa and may not be used and/or displayed during periods of suspension.
  • The Organisation shall not acquire or claim any title to any of the Cert Africa scheme logo by virtue of the rights granted to them by this Agreement or through their use of the scheme logo either before or after the certification date.
  • The certified Organisation may display the scheme logo:
    • On its letterheads and stationery.
    • In advertising or in promotional material.
    • On a panel or boarding that identifies its premises or the nature of its business.
    • On a flag, obtainable from Cert Africa, to be displayed at such premises.
    • On a fleet vehicle or delivery vehicle,
    • The scheme logo may not be used on Organisation’s Product packaging, product label or on the product itself
    • The scheme logo and the flag may not be used in any manner during periods of suspension or after the cancellation of the registration

Suspensions

Cert Africa may, within its discretion and upon written notice, suspend the registration of an Organisation due to non-conformance to the requirements of the Relevant Scheme. Cert Africa shall inform the Organisation in writing of the suspension decision and the conditions set by its management, the period of suspension and the reasons for the suspension. If the Organisation has not corrected the non-compliances by the end of the suspension period, Cert Africa may immediately terminate this Agreement and cancel the Certificate of Registration and the conditions set in clause 3 above shall accordingly apply.

During the period of suspension, the Organisation shall:

  • not display the Certificate of Registration on its premises
  • not claim Certification in respect of the Relevant Scheme in any material whatsoever, including marketing, sales, or procurement documents, e.g., tenders.
  • adhere to any specific instructions and conditions, which Cert Africa may include in writing.
  • not mislead its customers or the consumer/public in any way whatsoever, regarding its Certification status.
  • Should the above provisions not be complied with, such an action shall be regarded as a material breach of this Agreement and Cert Africa shall be entitled to take steps it deems necessary against the Organization as provided for in law.
  • The suspension status of Certification of the Organization’s MS. Cert Africa shall, upon request from any third party, correctly stated
  • The Organisation may request voluntary suspension of its Certification due to; moving premises, alterations to facilities and/or production processes, restructuring which may impact on its compliance to the requirements of the Scheme’s certification standard. The period of suspension shall not exceed nine months since the previous Audit, during this time:
  • The Organisation shall continue to pay the Certification fees as initially agreed and approved
  • The provisions of compulsory suspension as stated in clause on suspension shall apply during the period of voluntary suspension.
  • The Organisation shall request a reinstatement Audit within 9 months of the previous Audit. If the Organisation fails to request a reinstatement Audit in the given period and/or is unable to achieve full compliance with the requirements of the relevant Scheme certification standard after the suspension period, the Certification shall be withdrawn/cancelled by Cert Africa and the Certification shall be terminated and the Certificate of Registration shall immediately be returned to Cert Africa.

Appeals

Should Organisation feels aggrieved by a decision of Cert Africa in terms of its registration, it may, in the first instance and within 15 (fifteen) days of being informed of such decision by Cert Africa, raise an appeal in writing setting out all the reasons for the appeal to the Managing Director. The Managing Director shall within a period of 15 (fifteen) days either uphold or dismiss the appeal (the “Appeal Period”). Should the Managing Director dismiss the appeal or alternatively not notify the Organisation of its decision before the expiration of the Appeal Period, then, the Parties may escalate the dispute (should it still exist) in accordance with the provisions of the dispute mechanism.

Please have a look at our “Appeals page” for further information.

Dispute Resolution

Both parties agree to the following dispute mechanism: – In the event of any disagreement arising out of this Agreement or the interpretation thereof, while in force or after its termination and the Parties being unable to reach agreement, the matter will be referred to the Executive Management of each of the Parties who shall endeavour to settle the dispute through bona fide negotiations; – In the event that the Parties are still unable to reach agreement through the process of an appeal, it is hereby agreed that a dispute shall be submitted to and decided by arbitration in accordance with the rules of the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA), by an arbitrator agreed upon between the Parties or, failing agreement, appointed by the AFSA;

Each Party is entitled to give notice of arbitration, provided that such notice shall be given within 7 (seven) days and not later than 30 (thirty) days from the date that the Executive Management of the Parties or their nominees first met as contemplated in dispute resolution; unless the Parties agree to extend the time periods referred to herein.

  • Unless otherwise agreed by the Parties in writing the arbitration shall be held at Pretoria, in the Republic of South Africa.
  • Only the Parties and their legal representatives or persons agreed to shall attend the arbitration proceedings.
  • The Parties shall use their best endeavours to expedite the arbitration process.

Subject to the other provisions of this clause, arbitration shall be held in accordance with the provisions of the Arbitration Act, Act No 42 of 1965, as amended.

Suspension information

This describes the process to be followed for the suspension, reinstatement and withdrawal of certification including reduction of scope.

PROCEDURE

  • The client will be responsible for all costs incurred for re-audits for reinstatement after suspension;
  • The manager will communicate additional costs to the client and client acceptance in writing before proceeding with re-audit;
  • Cert Africa shall suspend certification in cases when, e.g.:
  • the client’s certified management system has persistently or failed to meet certification requirements including requirements for the effectiveness of the management system;
  • the certified client does not allow surveillance or re-certification audits to be conducted at the frequencies indicated in the client agreement or as recommended by the Lead Auditor after the last surveillance audit (at least once per annum);
  • When on-site clearance of critical non-conformances fail after a surveillance audit;
  • the certified client has voluntarily requested, in writing, to be suspended; or
  • Due to non-payment of fees for work done.
  • For inactivity or strike action a concession will be granted by the manager to grant a 6 months period to assist the client during the period. Only after this, the suspension process will follow;
  • The Lead Auditor can only recommend suspension to the Technical Review Manager. Only the Technical Review Manager and Management can agree to and approve the suspension (CTSA F9.5: Audit Log);
  • The Manager shall update the CTSA C4: Directory of Clients to reflect the suspension after approval by the Management and the client has been notified in writing of the decision to suspend certification;
  • Once suspended, and the period has exceeded the time limit of six months since the previous surveillance audit, an organization’s management system shall be subject to a re-audit (Stage 2) and based on the minimum audit days for an initial audit as indicated by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). The result of the re-audit, along with the team leader’s recommendation shall be submitted to the Management Review Committee for continued certification (if positive). If the outcome of the Stage 2 audit is negative, the Stage 2 Audit shall be re-performed. (Additional costs incurred during such re-audits shall be for the organization’s account.)
  • A maximum period of 90 days from the date of suspension approval by the Cert Africa Management will be allowed. Failure of the client to address the concerns within this period will lead to withdrawal of certification. This decision will be communicated to the client with an official letter signed by the Management.
  • An on-site audit focussing on the concerns (areas of critical non-conformances) will be conducted within 60 days of suspension. The balance of the 90 days will be provided to the client to address any remaining concerns; (to be included in the letter to the client)
  • The on-site audit will be conducted by at least two auditors for one auditor day to ensure objectivity.
  • If a second suspension decision is made within the same certification cycle (3 years) certification will be withdrawn. This decision will be communicated to the client with an official letter signed by the Management.
  • Cert Africa will only reduce the scope of certification if the client reduces their scope of operations (not affecting critical aspects and hazards which the client can control or influence for ISO 14001 and ISO 45001); NOT in cases where there is lack of conformity within certain areas of the client’s scope of certification, unless clearly indicated on the certificate under scope of certification. This is to prevent creating false perceptions;
  • The Lead Auditor can only recommend reduction of scope to the Technical Review Manager. Only the Technical Review Manager and Management can agree to and approve the reduction of scope (CTSA F9.5: Audit Log);
  • Should the suspension re-audit fail, certification will be withdrawn with immediate effect. The client will have to go through the full certification process (Stages 1 and Stage 2) to be certified again;
  • Cert Africa remains the right to suspend certification with immediate effect should non-conformances be observed on site that might cause serious injuries and/or fatalities or in cases where serious injuries and/or fatalities have occurred. The same apply for repeat reportable environmental incidents;
  • The review manager shall review the re-certification, withdrawing and extension/reduction of scope of certificates before approval by a member of the Management; and

The Manager to update the CTSA C4: Directory of Clients to reflect the current status