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 Bloemfontein, Botshabelo and Thaba Nchu the Certificate of Acceptability (COA) is issued by Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality’s Environmental Health Services and Pest Control division, which sits in the Directorate Social Services. Phone the Mangaung call centre on 0800 111 300 and ask for Environmental Health Services to get the application form. Under the 2026/27 tariffs the application costs R467, VAT included. An environmental health practitioner (EHP) then inspects, and the certificate is issued in the name of the person in charge. A re-inspection costs R566, which is more than the application itself, so have the person in charge trained before you apply.
Who issues the COA in Mangaung
Mangaung is a metro, so it runs its own municipal health services. In the municipality’s 2026/27 tariff book, COA fees are listed under Directorate Social Services, Sub-directorate Social Development, Division Environmental Health Services and Pest Control. That division is the one you deal with.
The municipality’s website lists a general call centre, 0800 111 300, and gives its head office as the Bram Fischer Building on Nelson Mandela Drive and Markgraaff Street. I could not find a direct environmental health number or a COA form on the site. Ask the call centre which environmental health office handles your area before you drive anywhere.
How to apply in Mangaung
- Phone 0800 111 300, ask for Environmental Health Services, and request the COA application form and the list of documents they want attached.
- Complete the form in the name of the person in charge. R638’s model form in Annexure A asks for that person’s ID, the premises address and erf number, the food you handle, expected quantities, what you do with the food, staff numbers and, where applicable, a layout plan at 1:50.
- Submit the application in writing, as regulation 3(2) of R638 requires, and pay the tariff.
- Prepare for the EHP inspection. Our COA application checklist helps you build the file.
What it costs in Mangaung, and what a failed visit adds
Mangaung publishes its COA charges line by line. These are the 2026/27 amounts from the General Tariffs book, all VAT inclusive:
| Tariff item | 2026/27 |
|---|---|
| Application for Certificate of Acceptability | R467 |
| Re-inspection for Certificate of Acceptability | R566 |
| Duplicate certificate | R190 |
| Change of person in charge within 30 days | R174 |
| Trading licence application, food premises | R381 |
Do the sum. Pass first time and the COA costs R467. Fail once and it is R1 033. Fail twice and you have paid R1 599 in municipal fees, close to the R1 699 cost of training the person in charge properly, and you still have no certificate. That is before the trading days you lose while you wait.
The R174 line matters too. Every time your manager leaves, regulation 3(8) of R638 requires you to report the new person in charge in writing within 30 days, and the certificate is reissued in their name. A business with high manager turnover pays that fee and needs a newly trained person in charge each time. Read why a COA does not transfer to a new owner for the ownership side of this.
Pay for one inspection in Mangaung, not two
A trained person in charge is the cheapest way to avoid the R566 re-inspection fee. 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 Mangaung EHP checks
The inspection is against R638. Before you book it, walk through the premises with the person in charge and check these yourself:
- Structure and services: washable walls, floors and ceilings, working hand-wash basins with soap and drying, hot and cold water, and screened openings.
- Temperature control: fridges and hot-holding equipment working, with a way to show you monitor them.
- Pest control: no signs of pests, and a contract or service record.
- Staff: protective clothing under regulation 9 and food handler duties under regulation 11, which regulation 10(12) ties to every food handler.
- Training records: regulation 10(1)(c) and (d) require routine checks that training works, and training programmes and records kept for the inspector.
The last two points are where a trained person in charge earns their place. They know what the EHP will ask for and can answer without phoning the owner. If you do receive findings, see what the person in charge must do after EHP findings. If you would rather keep these records digitally, our post on paperless R638 records explains how.
Where Mangaung applications wait
Getting to the right office. With no published direct line or online form, the first step goes through the call centre. Ask for a reference number on the call.
The trading licence runs separately. The tariff book lists the food premises trading licence application under its own heading, at R381. Ask Environmental Health Services whether they need it before or after the COA in your case.
Inspector capacity. In his reply to parliamentary question NW3555 (asked in June 2025), the Minister of Health put the Free State at 71 functional EHPs in 2024/25, a shortage of 225, about one EHP for every 42 000 people. That covers the whole province, not Mangaung alone, but it explains why a re-inspection is both costly and slow to book.
Time to fix shortfalls. Regulation 3(5) lets the municipality allow up to six months for changes, and you may not handle food until the COA is issued, under regulation 3(1).
Why the person in charge should be trained first
Regulation 10(1)(a) requires the person in charge to be suitably qualified or adequately trained in food safety and hygiene, with accredited training where applicable. The course takes about 16 hours, self paced. For several managers, team seats cost R7 645 for 5 or R14 440 for 10. Food handlers need their own training under regulation 10(1)(b); see who needs which course. For the national picture, read the 2026 guide to the Certificate of Acceptability, and for local options see food safety training in Bloemfontein.
Free download: COA application pack
A five page PDF with the Annexure A form explained field by field, the documents to attach, metro contacts and what the inspector checks on the day.
Questions from Bloemfontein owners
Are Mangaung’s COA fees VAT inclusive? Yes. The 2026/27 General Tariffs book marks the COA application, re-inspection, duplicate and change of person in charge fees as VAT inclusive.
Can I apply for a COA online in Mangaung? I could not find an online portal or downloadable COA form on the municipality’s website. Phone 0800 111 300 and ask for Environmental Health Services.
Do the fees go up next year? The tariff book already shows the proposed amounts: the application rises to R482 in 2027/28 and R498 in 2028/29. Check the current year’s book before you pay.
Start with the person in charge: enrol on the Food Safety Practices for Persons in Charge course.
