Cable Standards in South Africa

So what is a standard or specification?

Standards are often referred to as specifications or even norms.

A standard is a repeatable, harmonised, agreed upon and documented way of manufacturing a product. Standards contain technical specifications or other precise criteria designed to be consistently used as a rule, guideline, or definition. Specifications help make life simpler and increase the reliability and efficiency of many of the goods and services we use.

Standards are the result of collective work by experts in a field and provide a consensus at the time when the standards are developed. Since standards in the international arena are established on a consensus broad-interest group basis, this represents what can be agreed upon. A published standard is therefore the harmonised synthesis of what the group is willing to publish.?

In terms of international and regional standardisation, this is even more important than at the national level: the importance of consensus is critical because of large and diverse interest groups and needs. Ultimately, this may mean that a standard lacks some of the clarity or specific criteria that certain interest groups or individuals would have preferred.

Standards do not necessarily have to be developed by standardising bodies, such as ISO (International Standards Organisation) or the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commision). Any organisation can set standards for internal or external use. However, in order to truly be called a standard, the requirements mentioned above must be met.

UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE PLAYERS IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN CABLE MARKET

1. SABS - The South African Bureau of Standards

The SABS has a product certification or permit scheme to which most South African manufacturers subscribe. This means that manufacturers are audited by the SABS at least twice a year and during the audit cable samples are taken, which are sent to SABS's Netfa (National Electrical Testing Facility) laboratory for tests.

Only if the manufacturer complies with the audit rules and if the samples tested comply with the requirements, then SABS will issue a permit authorising the manufacturer to use the SABS mark. The SABS marking scheme is voluntary which means that manufacturers are not obliged to subscribe to the marking scheme.

To verify whether a company does have SABS product certification, one can check it on the SABS website at the following link: https://www.sabs.co.za/Certification/certificationfilter.asp#results?

There are minimum requirements of information that must appear on the packaging of SABS approved cable:

a) The manufacturer's brand or cable brand or both;

b) The rated voltage (voltage rating), the size of phase conductor(s) and the number of conductors; and

c) The length of the cable.

There is usually also the SANS specification number and sometimes the SABS logo.

If the information does not appear on the product packaging there is a possibility that the product does not meet the minimum requirements.

2. NRCS – National Regulator of Compulsory Specifications

The NRCS is an entity of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the DTIC); established to administer mandatory specifications and other technical regulations for the purpose of protecting human health, safety, the environment, and ensuring fair trade in accordance with government policies and guidelines.

The NRCS is the regulatory authority in South Africa. They regulate the safety of certain products, including most types of electrical cable.

Unlike SABS, compliance with their requirements is not voluntary. In other words, any product for which there is a compulsory standard offered for the market in South Africa must comply with the requirements of the NRCS. According to current legislation, it includes manufacturers who have the SABS permit scheme.

On imports, the NRCS requires an accredited test certificate. Should the NRCS find cable in the market that does not meet the mandatory standards, the cable will be confiscated and destroyed. It can also lead to civil claims and criminal prosecution.

3. ISO – International Organisation for Standardisation

ISO is an independent, non-governmental organisation with a membership of 167 national standards bodies. Through its members, it brings together experts to share knowledge and develop voluntary, consensus-based, market-related International Standards that support innovation and provide solutions to global challenges.

Most people are aware of the ISO 9001 system. But still, there are organisations that use this mark in the wrong context. ISO 9001 is a quality management system. For companies that boast the ISO 9001 certification, this only means that their quality management system is certified. So people can't say their cable meets ISO 9001 requirements. This is factually incorrect as ISO 9001 is not a product certification system at all.?

Substandard cable

One of the biggest challenges in South Africa regarding the standards of cable is that Africa and South Africa are viewed as an outlet for substandard cable products from abroad because of small irresponsible manufacturers bent on saving costs and undermining standards. For the uninformed man on the street, this poses a danger because, unfortunately, most people buy products according to price. In most cases, cheap cable is substandards cable.

It is therefore vitally important to ensure that the cables purchased are supplied by a reliable supplier - as substandard cables can have tragic and even deadly consequences.

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All Continental Cable products comply fully with the appropriate SANS and IEC standards and are manufactured and distributed in accordance with the ISO 9001 quality management system. We are SASOL & ESKOM approved.

Our team of staff have access to our extensive product range. Get in touch so we can get the right cable for you.

Place your order with our sales team now

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View the full range and specs at www.continentalcables.co.za