Blog 4 Columns

On the 19th of November 2019, SIZA publicly opened the applications for all independent third-party audit companies to apply to become recognised to conduct SIZA Environmental audits.

For the 2019/2020 sample group, a total of 72 farms were verified of which the majority were located in the Western Cape.

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.