Dear Clients,
Here is the newsletter in detail: SHE legal update newsletter – what happened in August 2026: Spring into Compliance
Summary: August 2026: Spring Is Coming — and So Is More Legislation
August may technically still be winter, but South Africa is already showing signs of spring: longer days, the first blossoms, and, naturally, a fresh crop of Government Gazettes. While some of us are wondering whether it’s finally safe to pack away the heater, the lawmakers have been busy with biodiversity, emissions, mining, hazardous substances, driving licences, municipal by-laws and enough new SANS standards to keep compliance departments indoors for a little longer.
Wildlife gets paperwork
Biodiversity had a particularly busy month. A new Draft National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2026–2035 and a Draft Leopard Conservation Strategy and Action Plan were released for comment. Export quotas were also published for African elephant, black rhinoceros and leopard hunting trophies.
In other words, even the leopards have a strategy now. How is yours looking for 2035?
Air quality: the 84-page version
Proposed amendments to the Listed Activities and Minimum Emission Standards introduce numerous new activities and changes to existing ones requiring atmospheric emission licences. The Gazette notice runs to a cheerful 84 pages, which the original report quite reasonably declines to summarise.
Some documents are legislation. Others are endurance events.
Your fridge is being regulated
Energy-efficiency and labelling specifications were amended for electrical and electronic appliances, including air conditioners, audiovisual equipment, dishwashers, ovens and fridges.
So while Eskom may no longer dominate every braai conversation, your appliances are still very much on government’s radar.
Illegal mining: tightening the legal screws
The General (Mining) Laws Amendment Bill aims to strengthen measures against illegal prospecting and mining. It proposes new offences, prohibits assisting people involved in illegal mining, expands enforcement powers and gives SAPS additional compliance and enforcement functions. Several existing Acts would also be amended.
The message is fairly clear: if your weekend plans involve a pickaxe and somebody else’s mineral rights, perhaps reconsider.
Hazardous substances: permits, fees and fines
Draft regulations under the Hazardous Substances Act propose fees relating to radioactive sources and certain electronic equipment, together with fines for operating, possessing, importing, exporting or otherwise dealing with regulated substances without the necessary authorisation or licence.
Apparently radioactive material remains one of those areas where “I didn’t know I needed a permit” is unlikely to improve the conversation.
New National Environmental Health Norms and Standards were also released, replacing those published in October 2025.
Driving licences: ten years? Yes, you read that correctly
Possibly the most exciting proposal of the month for anyone who has ever spent quality time in a South African licensing department: draft amendments propose that learner’s licences remain valid for 24 months, driving licences themselves be valid indefinitely unless suspended or cancelled, and licence cards for Codes A1, A, B and EB be valid for ten years. Heavy-vehicle categories would retain a five-year card validity period, subject to specified conditions.
They are only draft amendments for now, so don’t celebrate by throwing away your renewal reminder just yet.
Food and labour take the month off
No relevant foodstuffs and agricultural legislation was passed during August. Labour legislation was equally quiet.
We assume both departments were conserving energy for spring.
Municipalities discover the Gazette
At municipal level, the by-law machine was running nicely. Kouga promulgated a Problem Buildings By-law; Dr JS Moroka published by-laws dealing with problem properties, bulk contribution services and water services; Emalahleni replaced older air-quality and waste-management legislation; uMzimkhulu introduced new integrated waste-management rules; Bela-Bela published its water and sanitation policy and draft Water Services By-law; and Mamusa promulgated a Waste Management By-law.
uMzimkhulu deserves a special mention: its schedule of offences and admission-of-guilt fines appeared under a heading calling it a “Draft”, leaving it unclear whether the schedule really is a draft or whether somebody simply forgot to change the heading.
A small reminder that even legislation occasionally suffers from copy-and-paste.
And finally: SABS has been busy
New standards cover catering food safety, biodiversity in organisational strategy and circular-economy product data. Amendments range from gaseous fire-extinguishing systems and fire alarms to welding equipment, dried milk and the reprocessing of packaging used for dangerous goods.
So, as South Africa heads towards spring, August leaves us with leopards being strategised, fridges being labelled, driving licences potentially lasting a decade, municipalities rewriting their by-laws and dried milk having its moisture content carefully regulated.
Spring may be in the air — but compliance is still firmly in the Gazette.
Here is the newsletter in detail: SHE legal update newsletter – what happened in August 2026: Spring into Compliance
Stay warm.
Mark Dittke and team