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Establishment of the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications
The National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications Act (Act 5 of 2008) was promulgated in Government Gazette 31216 on 4th July 2008 and took effect on 1st September 2008.
The Act transferred the Regulatory Division of the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) and all regulatory functions of the SABS to a new statutory Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) institution - the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NCRS).
The new Act also transferred of all employees in the SABS Regulatory Division to the NRCS, together with relevant regulation including compulsory specifications, agreements, assets and obligations.
The legislation is the culmination of a 10-year process intended to align South Africa with world best regulatory practice and meet requirements of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreement on TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO TRADE (WTO TBT Agreement) and the agreement on THE APPLICATION OF SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES (WTO SPS Agreement).
About NRCS
The right of the public to health, safety and environmental protection is entrenched in South Africa's Constitution. The National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) protects these rights by administering and enforcing compulsory specifications in the interest of
- Public health;
- Safety; and
- Protecting the environment
The NRCS ACT
Mandate
NRCS is a public entity that administers compulsory specifications, otherwise known as technical regulations, on behalf of the Minister of Trade and Industry.
The National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications Act was gazetted on 4th July 2008 and took effect on 1st September 2008. It provides for the administration and maintenance of compulsory specifications in the interest of public safety and health as well as for environmental protection.
History
Before legislation was passed to establish NRCS as a separate entity, regulatory matters were part of the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) - since the standards authority's inception more that 60 years ago. Since the gazetting of the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications Act in July 2008 (Act 5 of 2008), NRCS has become an autonomous body.
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