Joe Gqabi District Municipal Health Services Section has a legal mandate to provide municipal health services to the Joe Gqabi community, in compliance with prescribed municipal bylaws and relevant legislation. Part of this mandate involves executing health surveillance of food premises by identifying, preventing and controlling any conduct that might contribute to ill health and take the required preventative measures to ensure the improvement of community health, well-being and safety as contained in the National Health Amendment Act, (Act 12 of 2013) and other relevant legislation.
In compliance with the above mandate, Municipal Health Services have been conducting inspections of business and public food premises within the Joe Gqabi District in the past 10 years, with an aim of imposing compliance with the relevant regulations.
Section 57 (1) of the Joe Gqabi Municipal Health Services Bylaws, read with Regulations Governing General Hygiene Requirements for Food Premises and the Transportation of Food and Related Matters, promulgated Under Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act (Act 54 of 1972), Regulation 638 of 22 June 2018; requires that a person may not handle food or permit food to be handled on food premises in respect of which a Certificate of Acceptability (COA) has not been issued.
It is within the above mandate that the Joe Gqabi District Municipality hereby instructs all food
handling business and public premises within the jurisdiction of the Joe Gqabi District Municipality to
adhere to the above requirement and ensure that their food premises are operated under a valid
Certificate of Acceptability, issued by authorised Environmental Health Practitioners employed by the
Joe Gqabi District Municipality; with effect from the 1st of October 2022.
Non-complying food premises, operating without a valid COA, will be issued with prohibition notices and also issued with R1000 fines, as prescribed in sections 320 and 327 of the Joe Gqabi District Municipal Health Services Bylaws. Where non-compliance persists, premises owners will be issued with a R5000 fine for an intentional continued offence. All fines will be handed over to the relevant Magistrates for further consideration.
Applications must be submitted to Municipal Health Services Offices within the Joe Gqabi
District.
All enquiries must be directed to Municipal Health Services offices in all respective areas.
