What does your trade need in South Africa?
The registrations, certificates and publicity rules for each trade are scattered across gazettes, regulator sites and municipal forms, many of them PDFs that do not open properly. We read them, put them in plain English and link every point to its source with the date we last checked it.
One checklist per trade.
Each guide has a checklist you can copy, print or send to a colleague. It is background, not legal advice, and the source always wins.
Attorneys and law firms
The Legal Practice Council's code of conduct treats a firm's website and social media as publicity.
Caterers and food businesses
The key document for food premises is the certificate of acceptability issued under the R638 hygiene regulations of 22 June 2018.
Building contractors
The CIDB keeps a Register of Contractors and says contractors must obtain a grading to be listed.
Electricians
Under the Electrical Installation Regulations of 2009, every user or lessor of an electrical installation must hold a valid certificate of compliance with a test report, and a registered person issues it.
Guesthouses and B&Bs
In August 2024 Booking.com agreed to remove price-parity terms from its South African accommodation contracts, so a guesthouse may price lower on its own website.
Plumbers
PIRB is the professional body for plumbers, and anyone can check a plumber's registration on its public lookup.
Your trade not here? Tell us which one. Also see websites by industry.