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 Pretoria and the rest of Tshwane, the Certificate of Acceptability (COA) is issued by the City of Tshwane’s Health Department, whose environmental health practitioners (EHPs) inspect food premises. You apply in writing to the environmental health office for your region, the EHP inspects against R638, and the certificate is issued in the name of your person in charge. Unlike Johannesburg and Cape Town, Tshwane charges a gazetted service fee for issuing a COA, so ask about it when you apply. Train your person in charge first, because that is the person the certificate is issued to.
I could not find a City web page that sets out the COA application with a form, portal or published turnaround, so this post sticks to what the City and reliable news sources have confirmed. For courses from Soshanguve to Bronkhorstspruit, see our food safety training page for Tshwane and Pretoria. For the national rules, read the 2026 COA municipal guide.
Tshwane is checking online food businesses too
In August 2026 the City’s Health Department, with Health MMC Tshegofatso Mashabela on site, closed three online grocery and food delivery operations in Hatfield. According to TimesLIVE and ITWeb, two were allegedly trading without a COA and business licences. The inspectors looked at the physical premises where food was received, stored, packed and prepared for delivery, and checked hygiene, pest control, waste management, sanitation and whether the delivery equipment was suitable for carrying food. The MMC’s words: “Online does not mean exempt. Public health comes first.”
If food is handled at an address, that address needs a COA, whether customers walk in or order on an app.
How to apply in Tshwane
- 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.
- Find your regional environmental health office. Tshwane is divided into seven regions. If you do not know who covers your area, the City call centre is 012 358 9999. Ask for the environmental health office for your region and ask what the application must include.
- Apply in writing. Regulation 3(2) requires a written application to the local authority, which then refers it to an inspector. Use our COA application checklist so the file is complete the first time.
- Ask about the fee. In April 2025 a City spokesperson told Rekord that COA charges are gazetted “service fees” under Local Authority Notice 838 of June 2024. Ask the office for the current amount and how to pay it.
- 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.
- Display it. Regulation 3(7) requires the COA to be on display, or a copy produced at once on request.
One thing to avoid: the spaza registration page the City opened in December 2024 was for registering spaza shops and vendors. Registering there is not a COA.
Make the first Tshwane inspection count
With so few inspectors in the metro, a failed first visit can cost you weeks. 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 Tshwane EHP checks
Expect the same ground the Hatfield inspectors covered:
- The premises. Regulation 5 requires 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.
- Waste, pests and sanitation. Bins with lids, no signs of rodents or cockroaches, clean toilets.
- Transport. If you deliver, the containers and vehicles you use.
- People and records. Protective clothing under regulation 9, food handler duties under regulation 11, routine checks that training works under regulation 10(1)(c), and the training programmes and records required by regulation 10(1)(d).
After the visit, our post on what the person in charge must do with EHP findings explains the next steps. If you run a food truck, also read how to start a food truck business.
Where Tshwane applications usually wait
Getting an inspector out. In October 2024 the City’s health director told Business Day that Tshwane had 74 inspectors, about one for every 60 000 residents, and said: “Presently, we are doing one inspection once a year and mostly attending to critical matters on a reactive basis.” A year earlier a City spokesperson had told Rekord that the norm is a quarterly inspection for high-risk premises and a yearly one for low-risk premises. A complete application with a trained person in charge is the fastest way through.
Markets and events. The April 2025 Rekord report was about market vendors. The City’s spokesperson said: “The CoAs are not transferable. Each setup requires an inspection, hence the fee.” If you trade at markets, plan for that cost and lead time.
Other paperwork. The City’s 2024 registration drive asked for a zoning certificate, CIPC registration, proof of the premises and a tax clearance. Missing documents slow everything down, so gather them before you apply.
Why the person in charge trains before you apply
The certificate is issued in the name of the person in charge, and regulation 10(1)(a) puts the training duty on that person. If the EHP finds no training, you wait for a second visit in a metro where, by the City’s own account, premises get about one inspection a year. I see owners lose months this way. If that person leaves, regulation 3(8) gives you 30 days to tell the City in writing, so train a second manager too.
Your staff need training under regulation 10(1)(b). The Basic Food Hygiene Awareness for Food Handlers course is R420 and takes about four hours. The City’s own spokesperson has said vendors may use any course provider, as long as the training is compliant. For team seats, go to our Tshwane and Pretoria training page.
Questions from Tshwane owners
I only sell online. Do I need a COA? Yes, for the premises where the food is stored, packed or prepared. The City closed online operations in Hatfield in 2026 for allegedly trading without one.
I bought a shop in Centurion that has a COA. Can I keep using it? No. Regulation 3(9)(a) says a COA is not transferable between persons or premises. See why the COA does not transfer to a new owner.
How long does a COA take in Tshwane? The City has not published a turnaround that I could find. Ask your regional office when you apply, and keep a written record of every contact.
Enrol your person in charge on the R638 Persons in Charge course before you apply to the City of Tshwane.
