TCLM claims SABS certification is optional
"The test performed by SABS for Hexing was merely a way to make the users more comfortable and is in no way legally required before commercialising or installing such meters in South Africa."
LYDENBURG – Thaba Chweu Local Municipality (TCLM) is adamant that the South African Bureau of Standard’s (SABS) certificate is entirely voluntary and not a legal requirement for the current Hexing Electrical prepaid meters.
Themba Sibiya, communications manager at TCLM, said in response to the fact that these meters are not warranted by SABS, that the only compulsory certification since the enactment of the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) Act is the Regulatory Compliance Certificate (RCC), which has been granted to Hexing’s meters.
“The test performed by SABS for Hexing was merely a way to make the users more comfortable and is in no way legally required before commercialising or installing such meters in South Africa.”
Sibiya said that there is no legal requirement to obtain a SABS mark of approval whatsoever in this regard. “Hexing’s meter RCC, International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and South African National Standard (SANS) compliant. The meters are perfectly legal and compliant with the regulations in place.”
He went further to state that a SABS mark carries a heavy cost, as it is essentially the certification of a brand, including its manufacturing facilities and continuous surveillance of such facilities.
All previous Conlog prepaid meters that were removed from households before the installation of the Hexing meters, were SABS, SANS, RCC, IEC and STS approved.
Sibiya however, maintains that the proper procedure was followed, as the SABS certification is voluntary.
Regarding the RCC certificate supplied to the newspaper, an informed source and expert in the field of electrical installation said that the certificate does indicate RCC certification and compliance. “However, along with this certificate, there should also be an installation certificate, calibration certificate, load test certificate and SANS installation requirement documentation.”
These documents could not be supplied to the newspaper by the time of going to print.
Conlog meters all had the SABS stamp visible on the meter box and the keypad itself. Besides doing product testing and systems certifications that must meet the requirements of SANS, the SABS also awards the SABS Mark of Approval (as the Conlog meters carry), as an internationally recognised icon in South Africa, assuring buyers that products that have this mark are fit for the purpose and are safe; they also offer remedy and redress.
