By Mthokozisi Nkosi, Food Scientist, SAATCA Registered R638:2018 Lead Implementer (SAATCA register RG003), Lead Auditor registered with Exemplar Global and IRCA, Founder of ASC Food Safety Consultants. Updated November 2026.
Short answer: in Ekurhuleni the Certificate of Acceptability (COA) is issued by the Environmental Health division of the City’s Health and Social Development Department. You start at your nearest City customer care centre, or phone 011 999 2970 to ask about the process and request an inspection. An environmental health practitioner (EHP) inspects against R638, and the certificate is issued in your person in charge’s name. Train that person before you apply.
The City has been loud about this in 2026. On 9 May, Germiston City News carried the City’s call for food businesses to regularise their operations, and on 11 May the Brakpan Herald ran the same reminder: “The city urges all operators to regularise their businesses.” On 13 May, EMPD and Environmental Health closed a Benoni wholesale supermarket that, according to the City, was trading on a COA that had expired in 2015. If your food business anywhere from Tembisa to Nigel has no valid COA in your person in charge’s name, fix it this year.
Our food safety training page for Ekurhuleni lists the City’s environmental health offices and phone numbers by area. For the national picture, see the 2026 COA municipal guide.
Who issues the COA in Ekurhuleni
Environmental Health is one of four divisions in the City’s Health and Social Development Department, and its EHPs are the inspectors R638 refers to. The City says a genuine EHP must show identification, and you may refuse access if they cannot. EHPs do not collect cash for COAs. The City has warned about people posing as inspectors and selling fake certificates, so if someone offers you a COA without an inspection, it is not real. Report it to the City fraud hotline on 0800 102 201.
How to apply in Ekurhuleni, step by step
- Train your person in charge. Regulation 10(1)(a) of R638 says the person in charge must be suitably qualified or adequately trained in food safety and hygiene.
- Ask for the form and the inspection. Go to your nearest customer care centre (open 08:00 to 16:30, Monday to Friday) or phone 011 999 2970 for the COA process and inspection requests. For questions about requirements the City gives 011 999 2968. Regulation 3(2) requires the application in writing.
- Get the premises ready. Fix what you know is wrong before the EHP arrives. A pre-COA audit helps if you are unsure, and our COA application checklist covers the paperwork.
- The inspection. If the premises comply, the EHP recommends the certificate. If not, regulation 3(5) allows up to six months to make the changes.
- Pay and collect. The City’s scam warning says the COA is free. A separate City notice says an inspection fee for issuing a COA sits in its Environmental Health tariffs, paid at a City pay point once the premises meet the requirements. Ask which applies to you. Never hand cash to an EHP.
- Display it, then do the business licence. Regulation 3(7) requires the COA to be displayed. The City’s May 2026 business licence list asks food businesses for a COA from the Environmental Health Division, and puts the licence fee at R825 for 12 months.
Book the Ekurhuleni inspection with your training already done
The EHP will ask for your person in charge’s training record, so finish the course before you phone 011 999 2970. The ASC Food Safety Practices for Persons in Charge course is on the SAATCA register for R638 Person in Charge training, is HPCSA CPD accredited and is run by a FoodBev SETA accredited training provider. It is fully online, self paced, and ends in a video proctored assessment.
About the provider: ASC Food Safety is an Exemplar Global Recognised Training Provider, with 28 of its auditor, HACCP, GMP and ISO courses recognised.
What the EHP checks at the inspection
The inspection is against R638. Expect the EHP to look at:
- The building and facilities. Regulation 5 requires, among other things, a wash-up facility with hot and cold water, pest proofing, and hand-washing facilities with soap and disposable towels or another hygienic hand-drying method.
- Your stock. The City tells shoppers to check date markings and look for mould, rotten food and bulged or leaking cans. Expect the EHP to check your shelves the same way.
- Your people. Protective clothing under regulation 9 and the food handler duties in regulation 11.
- Your records. Regulation 10(1)(c) requires routine checks that training is working, and 10(1)(d) requires training programmes and records to be kept and shown to an inspector.
Left with a list of findings? Read what the person in charge must do after an inspection.
Where Ekurhuleni applications usually wait
Ekurhuleni is short of inspectors. In October 2024 the City’s environmental health director told Business Day it had 94 EHPs for about 4.2 million people, roughly one per 44 680 residents. The City’s draft 2026/2027 service level standards propose a target of seven days to issue a COA once the premises meet the requirements. The delays usually come before that point.
| Stage | What holds it up | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Before you apply | Zoning certificate, landlord consent or building plan missing | Ask City Planning about zoning first; the business licence needs it too |
| Inspection date | EHP workload | Phone 011 999 2970 and keep a note of who you spoke to and when |
| The inspection | No training record for the person in charge or staff | Finish training before the visit |
| After the inspection | Repairs and a second visit | Fix the listed items quickly and ask for the re-inspection in writing |
I see the third row every month: weeks of waiting for an EHP, then the visit stalls on a missing training record.
Why the person in charge trains before you apply
The COA is issued in the name of the person in charge, and regulation 10(1)(a) puts the training duty on that person. Without it, the inspection cannot close cleanly, however good the kitchen looks. If that person leaves, regulation 3(8) gives you 30 days to tell the City in writing, so train a second manager now.
Regulation 10(1)(b) covers every other worker. The Basic Food Hygiene Awareness for Food Handlers course is R420 and takes about four hours. Unsure who needs what? Read who needs which course. For team seats and local detail, see our Ekurhuleni food safety training page.
Questions from Ekurhuleni owners
Can I keep trading while I wait for the COA? No. Regulation 3(1) says no food may be handled on premises without a valid COA. Start the process before you open, not after.
I bought a business that already has a COA. Is it mine now? No. Regulation 3(9)(a) says a COA cannot be transferred between persons or premises. See why the COA does not transfer to a new owner.
Someone offered to “fast track” my COA for a fee. Should I pay? No. The City issues COAs only after an EHP inspection. Check with 011 999 2968 first.
Enrol your person in charge on the R638 Persons in Charge course before you book the Ekurhuleni inspection.
