South Africa will require many unregulated imports from China to meet local safety standards under a new directive issued by trade minister Parks Tau.
In a significant pointer that it is changing the way it does business, South Africa has taken steps to ensure imports of unregulated products from its key trade ally, China, meet the country’s safety standards.
Minister of trade, industry & competition (DTIC) Parks Tau on Friday issued a directive to implement a pre-export verification of conformity programme (PVOC) on unregulated Chinese imports — with the directive set to be effective in the next six months.
The directive is aimed at protecting local industries and consumers.
Some of the products targeted for tighter quality controls include skin-lightening creams, sanitary towels, napkins, hair relaxers, hair conditioners, non-stick pans, plastic utensils, aluminium cookware and cooking pots.
The PVOC will also include office chairs, office desks, wardrobes, cupboards, children’s cots, bicycles, basic home fitness equipment, sports protective gear, plastic toys, fuel generators, photovoltaic panels, gas stoves, plumbing components, firefighting equipment and building and construction materials.
PVOC programmes are generally instituted to protect consumers from dangerous, substandard, or counterfeit products and to shield the domestic industry from unfair competition from non-compliant goods.
The effect of Tau’s decision is that unregulated products imported from China, the world’s second-largest economy and Brics partner, will have to meet quality requirements of South African National Standards (SANS), conforming to the same standards domestic producers must adhere to.
“The programme requires that applicable products imported from the People’s Republic of China be accompanied by a certificate of conformity confirming conformity with identified applicable SANS or recognised reference standards,” the directive reads.
“The conformity assessment activities contemplated in this directive shall be undertaken within the legislative mandate of the SABS [South African Bureau of Standards] … this directive is adopted for legitimate public policy objectives, including consumer protection, safety and quality assurance.
“Any co-operation arrangement between SABS and a foreign conformity assessment body, including the China Certification & Inspection Group (CCIC), shall operate as an administrative and technical co-operation mechanism and shall not have independent regulatory force.”
Certification in country of origin
The DTIC told Business Day that the benefit of the PVOC is that goods are tested and certified in the country of origin, and it prevents the costly risk of goods being retested, rejected, destroyed or re-exported at the port of destination.
The certificate of conformance that is required during pre-export verification demonstrates that the products meet high-quality standards, providing a competitive advantage and building trust with buyers and local authorities, the department said.
It also said PVOC prevents the entry of hazardous, counterfeit or substandard products, protecting the local market from becoming a dumping ground.
“There is an existing technical MoU between SABS and the CCIC on PVOC. It involves ensuring that products comply with the SANS used in a country for such a product before those products could even leave China for South Africa,” the department said.
“China has extensively consulted with its industry/manufacturers on this approach, and they are in support of it.
“By ensuring all imports meet the same quality standards as local products, PVOC prevents unfair competition from cheaper, lower-quality imports.”
The National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) has been cracking down on “dangerous, substandard products” being sold in local markets via raids across the country.
The latest raid was conducted in East London and King William’s Town, Eastern Cape, where the regulator removed products ranging from air fryers, fans, incandescent lamps, plastic carrier bags, paraffin stoves, safety footwear, paraffin heaters, chemical disinfectants, canned fish products, frozen fish and hairdryers to electric massage machines.
Rapid trade reforms
South Africa is fast reforming its trade regime with the rest of the world, as cheap imports flood the market, displacing local players.
The country is running a significant trade deficit with China, which is widening despite attempts to close it.
The trade-gap data from the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), released in January, shows South Africa exported merchandise to the value of R164bn to China between January and September 2025, which was overwhelmed by R304bn in imports —resulting in a R136.6bn deficit.
South Africa is also running a significant trade deficit with its Brics partners.
Research by top academic Bhaso Ndzendze, a professor of politics and international relations at the University of Johannesburg, found the deficit with Brics trade partners has been widening, growing from $3.6bn in 2010 to $13.2bn in 2024.
This is because Brics countries have not been importing South Africa’s manufactured goods at a significant rate since joining the bloc in 2010.
The study called for a Brics treaty to be established to eliminate tariff and non-tariff barriers.
Tau has started a process to give the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (Itac) more teeth, including that the watchdog investigate imports that may hurt the country’s national security interests.
The amendments to the Itac Act that Tau has proposed suggest that when conducting its investigations, Itac will consider, among other things, South Africa’s defence capabilities and interests; the economic and social stability of the country; and the security of infrastructure — including processes, systems, facilities, technologies, networks and assets.
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