SIZA Audits

The auditor’s role is to understand the climate context in which a business operates, identify where climate-related conditions may increase existing risks, and assess whether those risks are being effectively managed and whether appropriate measures are in place to strengthen resilience.

An environmental audit is not the end of the environmental management process. It provides a point-in-time assessment of how effectively a business identifies and manages environmental risks, while also highlighting areas for improvement.

The closing meeting is often viewed as the final step of a SIZA audit. In reality, it is much more than that. It is an important opportunity for the auditor and supplier to confirm what was observed, clarify findings, consider relevant evidence and ensure that both parties have a clear understanding of the audit outcome.

Effective communication is evident within the auditor’s capacity to appropriately read and respond to verbal and non-verbal cues, as well as to recognise how their own non-verbal cues may affect the atmosphere of the audit.

Confidentiality during the audit process begins with providing interviewees with clear assurance that concerns can be raised without fear of retribution and that any information shared will remain unattributed.

A TES provider may qualify for exclusion from a supplier’s SIZA Social Audit sample where it has demonstrated a sustained history of compliance and meets the applicable SIZA requirements. As of 1 September 2026, changes have been implemented to the TES Due Diligence Programme.

When determining risk, auditors consider factors such as the severity, the likelihood of recurrence, and the extent and potential impact of an issue. Two findings may appear similar on paper but present very different levels of risk depending on the circumstances.

The proceedings of a third-party audit rarely remain confined to the audit day itself – instead often extending well beyond the farm gate to shape the perceptions of suppliers who have been audited and those that are yet to be audited.

SIZA celebrates ten years as an independent organisation at a celebration event on 19 August 2026. However, the real story behind the milestone is not simply the growth of an organisation. It is the story of a South African agricultural industry that recognised, long before many of today’s sustainability requirements became mainstream, that it needed to take responsibility for its practices.

One of the strongest messages to emerge from the recent SIZA Conference in South Africa was that compliance can no longer be viewed simply as a requirement for market access. In an increasingly complex global agricultural environment, compliance is becoming a critical tool for building resilient businesses, trusted supply chains, and sustainable agricultural systems.

South African agriculture is increasingly vulnerable to natural disasters such as floods, droughts, wildfires and severe storms. Climate change has significantly increased the frequency and magnitude of these events, placing greater risk on farmers who are pressured to respond rapidly. However, even during disaster situations, environmental compliance obligations do not simply disappear. South Africa’s environmental… Continue reading Acting Fast, Staying Compliant: Why NEMA Section 30A matters for Agricultural Emergencies