Kara du Toit

From 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020, 1 188 SIZA members have completed their Environmental Self-Assessment Questionnaires (SAQs) on the SIZA platform, of which 1 127 were approved and 61 were reviewed and sent back for the necessary corrections to be made.

The new Sedex SAQ was released late in February this year. The previous SAQ which is now renamed “Legacy SAQ” is available and visible to markets.

During 2019, 627 SIZA Ethical audits were conducted. Out of this total, 94% have been completed in full, and a further 6% are in the process of completing the required corrective actions.

Amidst the Coronavirus, South Africa promulgated strict lockdown regulations since 27 March 2020. This resulted in limited access to facilities, and audits were not able to continue as usual.

Verifying hours using manual systems has become an increasing concern for auditors during SIZA audits. In many cases, auditees supply attendance registers that do not adequately indicate the actual time worked for a particular employee.

For answers to questions such as “How do you distinguish between a Temporary Employment Service and an Independent Contractor?” refer to our FAQs here.

A total of 36 audits have been conducted remotely thus far during the COVID-19 pandemic in accordance with the SIZA Remote Audit Procedure. A further 29 audits are scheduled until 30 April 2020.

Due to the nature of this pandemic, everyone needs to manage schedules differently. SIZA is therefore cancelling the upcoming Social auditor training that would have taken place on 13 – 15 May 2020 in the Western Cape.

The recent outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has become an increasingly challenging situation, which has impacted all business operations. SIZA recognises that this is a developing situation, and the protection of people living and working on farms and within agriculture is paramount.