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 Durban the Certificate of Acceptability (COA) is issued by eThekwini Municipality’s Environmental Health Services, part of the municipal Health Department. You apply at your nearest Environmental Health office, or at the Customer Care walk-in desk at the Health Head Office at 9 Archie Gumede Place. An environmental health practitioner (EHP) inspects the premises, and the certificate is issued in the name of the person in charge. The municipality says the COA and the business licence can both be applied for at that same office. Train the person in charge before you hand in the form, because the EHP checks it.
Who issues the COA in eThekwini
eThekwini is a metro, so it runs its own municipal health services. Environmental Health Services inspects food premises, investigates food poisoning, handles recalls and issues Certificates of Acceptability. The application form is headed “eThekwini Municipality, Health Department, Environmental Health Services”.
The municipality’s Environmental Health Services page lists these numbers:
- Health Head Office: 031 311 3508
- Environmental Health enquiries and complaints: 031 311 3555
- North sub-district: 031 322 1778
- South sub-district: 031 311 5586
- West sub-district: 031 311 6614
Phone the sub-district that covers your premises first and ask which office should receive your form. It saves a wasted trip into town.
The eThekwini form, section by section
eThekwini publishes its form as “Application form for a Certificate of Acceptability for Food Premises”. It follows the model form in Annexure A of R638, so it is longer than many owners expect. The sections that need the most preparation:
- Section A, person in charge: a copy of the RSA ID, or a valid passport and residence documents for a foreign national, plus the company or close corporation registration certificate showing directors or members.
- Section B, premises: erf number, GPS coordinates and the registration number of every vehicle that carries perishable or pre-packed food. If your toilets, hand-wash basins, storage or preparation area are off site, you must give their erf number and address.
- Sections C to F: the food you handle, the expected output or number of people you will cater for, what you do with the food (preparation, packing, processing) and how many men and women you employ.
- Section H: a layout plan drawn to scale 1:50 showing each area and where equipment stands.
The plan is the part I see people leave until last. Draw it to scale and mark the hand-wash basins, sinks and fridges. Our COA application checklist helps you gather the rest of the file.
Train your Durban person in charge before the EHP visit
The name in Section A of the eThekwini form is the name that goes on the certificate, so that person needs the R638 training first. 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 Durban EHP checks
The EHP inspects against R638. In eThekwini there is a second rulebook: the Food, Milk and Milk Products By-law, 2022, published on the municipality’s website. It is more specific than R638 in places. Sections worth reading before the visit:
- Section 9(17): lighting of at least 200 lux. Dim back kitchens and storerooms are where this usually falls short.
- Section 9(9): sinks of stainless steel or another approved non-absorbent material.
- Section 11: a constant supply of hot and cold water to sinks and food preparation areas.
- Section 14: suitable refrigeration or heating for perishable food, with thermometers on the chilling and heating equipment.
- Section 5(4): the certificate for a vehicle that sells perishable food must name the premises where that food is prepared.
Section 63(1) of the by-law sets a fine of up to R200 000, or imprisonment of up to two years, or both, on conviction. Under R638 the EHP will also ask for your training records and for proof that you check the training works, as regulation 10(1)(c) and (d) require. If you get findings, read what the person in charge must do after EHP findings.
Where Durban applications wait
Two signatures, not one. The office-use block on the eThekwini form has space for the Senior or Environmental Health Practitioner and, separately, the Environmental Health Services Manager. A good inspection still has to clear the manager’s desk.
Requests for more information. Regulation 3(4) of R638 lets the inspector ask for further information. A missing plan or a vague answer in Sections C to E starts that loop.
Inspector capacity. In his reply to parliamentary question NW3555 (asked in June 2025), the Minister of Health put KwaZulu-Natal at 287 functional EHPs in 2024/25, a shortage of 955, about one EHP for every 42 000 people. That is a provincial figure, but it explains why a second visit can take a while to book. A pre-COA audit is cheaper than a failed first inspection.
Why the person in charge should be trained first
Regulation 10(1)(a) of R638 says the person in charge must be suitably qualified or adequately trained in food safety and hygiene, and the training must be accredited where applicable. The COA is issued in that person’s name under regulation 3(5), and a new person in charge must be reported within 30 days under regulation 3(8). See why a COA does not transfer to a new owner.
The course takes about 16 hours, self paced, so the person in charge can finish it while you draw the plan. For long shifts or several sites, team seats cost R7 645 for 5 or R14 440 for 10; see our post on a person in charge on every shift. Food handlers need training too under regulation 10(1)(b); see who needs which course.
For the bigger picture across all municipalities, read the 2026 guide to the Certificate of Acceptability. For Durban courses, see food safety training in Durban.
Questions from Durban owners
Can I apply for a COA online in eThekwini? The municipality’s Environmental Health Services page sends applicants to their nearest Environmental Health office or the head office walk-in desk. It does not mention an online COA portal.
How much does a COA cost in Durban? Neither the eThekwini application form nor the Environmental Health Services page states a fee. Ask your Environmental Health office when you collect the form.
Do I list my delivery vehicles? Yes. Section B asks for the registration number of every vehicle that carries perishable or pre-packed food, and regulation 3(1) of R638 also covers outsourced vehicles carrying perishable food for your business.
Start with the person in charge: enrol on the Food Safety Practices for Persons in Charge course.
