Arranging a SIZA Social or Environmental Audit: Who to Contact and How to Choose

SIZA audits play a vital role in upholding credibility and market acceptance by being conducted through independent, third-party auditing firms. To ensure fairness, accessibility, and quality, the SIZA programme works with a diverse range of approved auditing firms across South Africa. These firms are carefully selected through a rigorous application and vetting process, ensuring they meet strict standards and remain compliant through ongoing monitoring. This approach guarantees availability across all provinces and languages and promotes competitive pricing for SIZA members.

SIZA audits must be scheduled through the MySIZA Platform, where suppliers can choose from options such as announced, unannounced, or combined audits with other standards, with or without a bolt-on, etc. Before an audit can be scheduled, suppliers must have an approved Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) to confirm their readiness for the audit and to ensure that auditors can prepare themselves for the day of the audit.

So, who are these trusted firms behind the audits?

African Certification and Testing (Pty) Ltd

We are excited to introduce a new firm that was recently approved and has officially started offering its services to suppliers from June 2025—welcome, African Certification and Testing!

ACT, for short, is a proudly African-owned and managed audit and certification body, with its headquarters in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. As an agile family-run firm, ACT prides itself on an approach that is hands-on and driven by our values. As well as being deeply committed to upholding the integrity of the SIZA programme, ACT also strives to contribute positively to the auditing community throughout South Africa and beyond. As Agriculture continues to encounter and adapt to the increasing global demand for ethical and sustainable production, ACT stands ready to support producers at every step of the way and offers services for GLOBALG.A.P. and both the SIZA Social and Environmental Standards, with three (3) approved Lead auditors for SIZA Social audits, and two (2) Lead Environmental auditors. ACT also offers other services and audits, so feel free to contact them directly:

Jacqueline Acres (africancertification@gmail.com)
Jocelyn Tullis (jocelyntullis12@gmail.com)

Or by dialling +27 83 205 0601 / +27 79 469 8894.

BSI Group South Africa (Pty) Ltd

BSI is a company that prides itself on focusing on what really matters through regular stakeholder dialogue, BSI have been supporting several farming businesses in South Africa with SIZA Social and Environmental audits over the past few years. BSI appointed auditors have many years of experience in the global agricultural industry and understand the diverse needs of farmers and growers from fruit and vegetable farms to packhouses and distribution of agricultural products. As a global leader in social auditing in various industries, BSI South Africa continues to support the principle of good service delivery within a wide range of languages and services across all 9 provinces. BSI currently have nine (9) social auditors and two (2) environmental auditors available for SIZA audits. If you are in need of a SIZA Social and/or Environmental audit, feel free to visit the website at www.bsigroup.com or contact the BSI team on +27 (0)12 880 6230 or email them at bsi.za@bsigroup.com / christof.boshoff@bsigroup.com.

Control Union South Africa (Pty) Ltd

A company with its roots in agriculture, Control Union has been helping to build a better world for several decades. The team is committed to driving a service-oriented business by meeting clients’ needs while ensuring high-quality audits. They offer services in more than 80 countries worldwide. They have a dedicated office based in South Africa that provides several audits to clients such as GLOBALG.A.P. and SIZA Social and Environmental audits. Control Union currently have seven (7) social auditors and six (6) environmental auditors available for SIZA audits. If you would like to obtain a quote or get in contact with the team at Control Union South Africa for your next audit, feel free to reach out to Louhan Nel (lnel@controlunion.com), Meliska Viljoen (mviljoen@controlunion.com) or dial +27 (21) 903 0987.

Elevate Global Business Consulting South Africa (Pty) Ltd

Also known as LRQA, has been operating within the auditing sector for decades in more than 150 countries. Since they recognised SIZA audits, ELEVATE has provided excellent service to South African suppliers across various commodities. As a company, they are committed to shaping a better future for people, clients, communities, and the planet. They offer SIZA Social Audits with two (2) qualified Lead auditors available for South African suppliers and a few in the training process who will be joining the team in the coming year.

For more Information, feel free to visit their website www.lrqa.com or contact Sam Martin directly at sam.martin@lrqa.com.

NSF Africa (Pty) Ltd

As a company that has been operating for more than 80 years, NSF’s mission has remained consistent in wanting to improve human and planet health. They offer services across a broad spectrum, including training, certification, consulting and accreditation audits in various sectors. Currently providing services in more than 110 countries, the NSF team in South Africa has been crucial in supporting South African farms and packhouses in their compliance and sustainability journey. NSF currently offers eight (8) social auditors and seven (7) environmental auditors for the SIZA programme.

Contact their office for your next SIZA Social or Environmental audit by dialling 021 880 2024 or emailing Elize van der Westhuizen at evanderwesthuizen@nsf.org.

Partner Africa

Partner Africa is a company that prides itself on good quality service and premium social and certification audits. They provide a range of services, including advisory services, training and auditing across the African continent. Partner Africa’s social audits department currently has 14 APSCA-qualified Certified Social Compliance Auditors based in South Africa, of which nine (9) are approved by SIZA to audit against the SIZA Social standard. They pride themselves as a leader in auditor development and training to support capacity demands and drive sustainability within the agricultural landscape. South Africa.

Partner Africa also offers social audits on standards such as SMETA and WIETA, and has a dedicated team to assist suppliers. Should you wish to learn more about Partner Arica’s work, feel free to visit their website – https://www.partnerafrica.org/ or contact the team at siza@partnerafrica.org.

SGS South Africa (Pty) Ltd

SGS is renowned as one of the world’s leading testing, inspection, and certification companies. Although SGS operates across 119 countries, its operation in South Africa offers various services, from food assurance, laboratory testing, auditing, training, assurance and sustainability services. Along with GLOBALG.A.P. audits, the South African team at SGS South Africa also conducts SIZA Social and Environmental audits to suppliers within the agricultural sector. They have four (4) social auditors and five (5) environmental auditors currently recognised as Lead auditors who can assist suppliers in getting their audits done. If you want to use SGS, you can engage them directly by emailing: