South Africa SABS EMC Draft Standards: Comment by 10 Nov
South Africa SABS EMC Draft Standards: New Editions for Appliances, Radio and EMF Open for Comment
South Africa SABS EMC draft standards are out for public comment, and the window closes on 10 November 2026. Notice 4147 of 2026, published by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition in Government Gazette No. 55353 on 11 September 2026, lists the draft South African National Standards (SANS) that the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) Board has issued for comment under the Standards Act, 2008. Among dozens of unrelated drafts, it includes a cluster that matters to makers of electrical, electronic and radio products.
Background: how SABS issues standards for comment
SABS develops and adopts South African National Standards through technical committees. Before a new or revised standard is published, the draft goes out for public enquiry, and the list is announced in the Government Gazette. Notice 4147 has two parts: Schedule A, with drafts for comment, and Schedule A.1, with draft amendments to existing standards. Every draft in this notice has the same closing date, 10 November 2026.
SANS are voluntary standards in their own right. They become mandatory only when a regulator, for example through a compulsory specification or a type approval requirement, refers to them. The notice itself doesn't change any regulation.
Key Changes in the South Africa SABS EMC Draft Standards
EMC product and generic standards
SANS 214-1 Ed 5 and SANS 214-2 Ed 2: emission and immunity requirements for household appliances, electric tools and similar apparatus, whether AC or battery powered. Their titles match the CISPR 14-1 and 14-2 series.
SANS 211 Ed 5: RF disturbance limits and measurement methods for industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) equipment, including domestic appliances that generate RF energy.
SANS 61000-6-2 Ed 2, 61000-6-3 Ed 3, 61000-6-4 Ed 3 and 61000-6-5 Ed 2: generic immunity and emission standards for residential, commercial, light-industrial, industrial and power station environments. These apply when there's no product-specific EMC standard.
SANS 225 Ed 4: radio disturbance limits for the protection of on-board receivers in vehicles, boats and engines, from 150 kHz to 5 925 MHz.
Test methods and measurement equipment
SANS 216-1-1 Ed 4 and SANS 216-1-4 Ed 4: measuring apparatus, antennas and test sites for radio disturbance measurements.
SANS 61000-4-20 Ed 3 (TEM waveguide testing) and SANS 61000-4-30 Ed 3 (power quality measurement).
Radio and RF exposure
SANS 302064 Ed 1: wireless digital video links operating from 1.3 GHz to 50 GHz.
SANS 303978 Ed 1: earth stations on mobile platforms (ESOMP) in the 17.3–20.2 GHz and 27.5–30.0 GHz bands.
SANS 62311 Ed 2: assessment of electrical and electronic equipment against human exposure restrictions for electromagnetic fields (0 Hz–300 GHz), where no product standard applies.
Both radio drafts are first editions titled "Harmonised Standard for access to radio spectrum".
Appliance safety
Schedule A.1 includes a draft amendment, SANS 60335-1 Ed 4.1, the general safety standard for household appliances. It updates the scope, test conditions, marking and instructions, construction, components and many other clauses, plus the annexes on battery-operated appliances and batteries, software evaluation, UV-C effects on materials, and appliances intended for remote communication through public networks.
AI and cybersecurity
The AI and cybersecurity drafts in the notice (the SANS 24760 identity management series, SANS 27006-1, SANS 18032, SANS 12792 and the SANS 2620 AI data quality series) are management, terminology and framework standards. They don't set requirements for products.
What This Means for Manufacturers
Nothing changes on 10 November. This is a consultation on draft standards, not a new regulation.
The drafts show which editions South Africa is preparing to adopt. If your products are tested to these standards for South Africa, compare the drafts with the editions in your current reports.
The notice doesn't say whether, or when, any compulsory specification or ICASA requirement will reference the new editions. That's to be confirmed.
Appliance makers should look closely at the SANS 60335-1 amendment, especially the annexes on batteries, software and connected appliances.
Companies that want to comment, or need a copy of a draft, have to contact SABS before the deadline.
Certification Impact Summary
Area | Before | After | Impact level |
Household appliance EMC (SANS 214-1/-2) | Current editions | Ed 5 (emission) and Ed 2 (immunity) in draft | Medium |
Generic EMC (SANS 61000-6 series) | Current editions | New editions in draft | Medium |
ISM equipment (SANS 211) | Current edition | Ed 5 in draft | Medium |
Radio: video links and ESOMP | No SANS edition | First editions in draft | Low |
EMF assessment (SANS 62311) | Current edition | Ed 2 in draft | Low |
Appliance safety (SANS 60335-1) | Ed 4 | Amendment Ed 4.1 in draft | Medium |
Mandatory requirements (NRCS, ICASA) | Unchanged | To be confirmed | To be confirmed |
Timeline and Required Actions
Key Dates
Date | Milestone |
11 September 2026 | Notice 4147 published in Government Gazette No. 55353 |
10 November 2026 | Public comments close for all drafts in the notice |
To be confirmed | Publication of the final standards |
Required Actions for Manufacturers
List the South African standards your products are tested to, by product line.
Check whether any of them is among the drafts in Notice 4147.
Request the drafts you need from SABS (Dsscomments@sabs.co.za) and compare them with the editions in your test reports.
Send any comments before 10 November 2026.
Ask the agency or the regulator whether any mandatory requirement will move to the new editions, and when.
Plan retesting only once the final standards and any regulatory reference are confirmed.
Conclusion
Notice 4147 doesn't change any rule today, but it shows where South Africa's EMC, radio and appliance safety standards are heading. With comments closing on 10 November 2026, manufacturers that rely on these standards should check the drafts now and keep an eye on whether regulators adopt the new editions. Contact our team for support with South African product approvals.
