SIZA manages the audit process from its office in Somerset West near Cape Town, by using the MySIZA Data Platform, which aims to create visibility throughout the agricultural value chain for South African suppliers to local and global markets. The SIZA Social Audit Process and Methodology and the SIZA Environmental Audit Process and Methodology set out the procedures, rules and specifications that determine how the third-party audit should take place. The SIZA Audit Process and Methodology aligns itself with global auditing requirements and ensures that the third-party audit process remains credible and independent, allowing for an adequate risk-evaluation for each site being audited.
Audits should take place during a period when the employment site is in operation, such as peak production or harvest. In any event, there should be a minimum of two-thirds (66%) of the total number of workers (calculated during the busiest period) present in the workplace for the audit to be deemed as a valid social audit. For environmental audits, the site also needs to be operational and if any processing or packing facility is on site, this facility should be accessible and in operation to allow for a thorough evaluation by the audit team.
