Dear Clients,
June 2026 Legal Round-Up: Winter Is Here… But the Law Never Sleeps
While much of South Africa is focused on staying warm, the legislative machine continues to tick over.
The biggest surprise this month? No new national environmental legislation. Enjoy the quiet—it probably won’t last.
Health and safety kept the transport sector busy. The Merchant Shipping (Dangerous Goods) Regulations received an update, with the 2003 INF Code Regulations sailing quietly into retirement. Meanwhile, the Railway Safety Regulator introduced two comprehensive new standards covering rolling stock (from wheels and axles to bearings) and railway stations, setting expectations for safety throughout their entire life cycle.
Food and agricultural regulation served up a generous helping of new terminology. A notice proposes officially recognising a wide range of production claims as Management Control Systems, including Free Range, Grassfed, Organic, Pasture Raised, No Routine Antibiotics, Wagyu Beef, Jersey Milk and Farmed Without Added Hormones. Reading food labels may soon require almost as much attention as reading the regulations themselves.
At municipal level, councils certainly weren’t keeping warm by the fire. New by-laws appeared on everything from noise control, business licensing and electricity supply to waste management, municipal health services and—this month’s runaway favourite—wayleaves. Several municipalities introduced them, suggesting wayleaves are having something of a moment.
Finally, a special mention goes to the City of Mbombela, which introduced a new Solid Waste Management By-law that appears to have replaced another waste by-law published just two months earlier. Even legislation, it seems, can have a spring clean in the middle of winter.
You can read the detailed June 2026 newsletter below or download it here:
Dear Clients,
Below please find a summary of selected relevant environmental, health and safety and foodstuffs legal developments that took place during June 2026.
NATIONAL LEGISLATION
ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION
No relevant environmental national legislation came out this month.
HEALTH AND SAFETY LEGISLATION
1) Merchant Shipping Act
- Merchant Shipping (Dangerous Goods) Regulations – Amendment
Amendments were made to the Regulations. At the same time the INF Code Regulations, 2003, were repealed.
2) Railway Safety Act
- Regulator Standard RSR 00-2-3-1:2026 (Edition 2.0) – Part 2-3-1: Technical requirements for systemic engineering and operational standards – Rolling stock: Wheels, axles and bearings
The standard establishes comprehensive technical requirements for rolling stock wheels, axles and bearings across their full life-cycle, including design, manufacturing, inspection, operation, monitoring, maintenance, modification and disposal.
- Regulator Standard RSR 00-2-3-1:2026 (Edition 2.0) – Part 2-7: Technical requirements for systemic engineering and operational standards – Railway stations
The standard establishes a framework of minimum technical and operational safety requirements for railway station infrastructure and operations. It further sets out a life cycle approach to station development, design, operation and maintenance to ensure consistent safety and performance.
FOODSTUFFS AND AGRICULTURAL LEGISLATION
3) Agricultural Product Standards Act
- Notice of intention to register Methods of Production as Management Control Systems
The Executive Officer: Agricultural Product Standards published a notice of intention to register the following methods of production as Management Control System in terms of the Regulations Relating to the Management Control System in Respect of the Sale of Certain Agricultural Products (GN R 6634 of 19 September 2025):
Authentic Stud Meat
Barn Eggs
Canola Eggs
Fed a Vegetarian Diet
Free Range (Eggs and Poultry Meat)
Free Range (Cattle (Beef), Pigs (Pork), and Sheep (Mutton))
Grain fed Eggs
Grassfed
Jersey Milk
No Routine Antibiotics
Organic Produced Products
Pasture Raised
rBST Free Milk
Sow Friendly Pork
Wagyu Beef
Farmed Without Added Hormones.
PROVINCIAL LEGISLATION
No relevant provincial legislation was passed this month.
MUNICIPAL LEGISLATION
4) Maruleng Municipality
The Noise Control By-law was published.
5) Nquthu Local Municipality
The municipality brought out the Wayleaves By-law.
6) Mkhondo Local Municipality
The Business Licensing By-law was promulgated.
7) Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality
New Electricity Supply By-laws were published.
8) Emakhazeni Local Municipality
A Wayleave By-law was introduced.
9) Nquthu Local Municipality
The municipality passed the Wayleave-By-law.
10) City of Cape Town
The City also came out with its own Wayleave By-law.
11) City of Mbombela
The municipality passed a new Solid Waste Management By-law (Local Authority Notice 665 in the Provincial Gazette 3995 of 26 June 2026).
A more concise Refuse (Solid Waste) and Sanitary By-law was, however, published on 10 April 2026 in Provincial Gazette 3951, and which dealt with the same or similar topics as the Solid Waste Management By-law. The latter by-law merely states that “any by-law relating to waste management or waste removal or disposal within the Municipality are [sic] repealed from the date of promulgation of this by-law”.
This presumably means that the Refuse (Solid Waste) and Sanitary By-law is no longer in force despite only recently being passed on 10 April 2026.
12) Ingquza Hill Local Municipality
The Integrated Waste Management By-law was passed and the By-law relating to the Control and Removal of Refuse was repealed.
13) Frances Baard District Municipality
New Municipal Health Services By-laws were published. These repealed the following 2013 by-laws:
- Municipal Health By-law
- Air Quality Management By-law
- Noise Control By-law.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
Kind regards
MARK DITTKE