ISO and GRC certification consulting in Cape Town

ISO and GRC certification in Cape Town at a glance

Cape Town earns its living in several ways at once. Offices and contact centres anchor an economy in which Invest Cape Town, the City's investment arm, ranks real estate, business activities and finance as the largest sectors and calls the city an offshore outsourcing hub. At the working harbour, the Port of Cape Town handles container, liquid bulk and break bulk cargo and supports a fruit export hub, a fishing sector and boat building. Food and fish processors, satellite and electronics firms and the greentech investors of the Atlantis Special Economic Zone add three more customer bases. The City itself inspects food premises and requires permission for industrial effluent. National law and accreditation are covered on the South Africa page. Sterling serves Cape Town from its Johannesburg office, bringing 20+ years of experience, 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries, and Effivity and Sterling Academy with every engagement.

Cape Town is South Africa's second-largest urban economy and the largest in the Western Cape. Invest Cape Town, the City's investment arm, ranks real estate, other business activities and finance as its biggest sectors and describes the city as an offshore outsourcing hub. Alongside the services economy it runs a working harbour, food and fish processing, satellite and electronics firms and a greentech special economic zone at Atlantis.

Standards Sterling delivers in Cape Town

Each page sets out why the standard is asked for in Cape Town, what it requires and how Sterling delivers it locally. National law and accreditation are covered on the South Africa page.

Industries in Cape Town that ask for certification

• Financial services, fintech and technology: Invest Cape Town ranks real estate, other business activities and finance as the three largest sectors of the city's economy, describes a fintech start-up scene in which payments is a major segment, and notes that the South African Artificial Intelligence Industry Association was established in the city; it also says the city has been at the forefront of South African e-commerce, including the payment platforms behind it. Standards asked for: ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2, PCI DSS, ISO/IEC 27701, Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA)
• Business process outsourcing and contact centres: Invest Cape Town describes an offshore outsourcing hub backed by the City, the provincial and national governments and the industry body CapeBPO, and notes that the city shares a time zone with Europe. Standards asked for: ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 27701, ISO/IEC 20000-1, PCI DSS, SOC 2
• Food, beverage and fish processing: Invest Cape Town describes food and beverage as a hub within the city's manufacturing base, with access to the country's richest hake stocks, and says the City, the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership and industry set up a Food & Beverage Growth Coalition in 2022. Standards asked for: HACCP, ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, ISO 9001, ISO 45001
• Aerospace, satellite and electronics: Invest Cape Town describes an aerospace ecosystem spanning satellite systems, optical payloads, software, testing and integration, and an electronics sector that includes satellite technology, circuit-board and contract manufacturing and medical technology. Standards asked for: AS9100, ISO 9001, ISO 13485, ISO/IEC 17025, ISO/IEC 27001
• Port, marine and freight: The Transnet National Ports Authority describes the Port of Cape Town as serving container, liquid bulk, dry bulk and break bulk trades, a premium fruit export hub, a fishing sector and a marine engineering hub for ship repair and boat and yacht building; Invest Cape Town adds that the city is the second-largest producer of recreational catamarans after France. Standards asked for: ISO 9001, ISO 45001, ISO 14001, ISO 22301, ISO 37001
• Green economy and energy: The Atlantis Special Economic Zone was established in 2018 as a greentech manufacturing hub, and the City is building its own utility-scale solar PV plant at Atlantis. Standards asked for: ISO 14001, ISO 50001, ISO 45001, ISO 9001

Industrial areas and zones in Cape Town

• Atlantis Special Economic Zone (Special Economic Zone established in 2018; the City of Cape Town has signed the zone's shareholders' compact): greentech manufacturing, energy services
• Epping Industrial (Industrial area profiled in the City of Cape Town's Economic Area Profiles): textiles, automotive, warehousing, printing, logistics, construction, food processing
• Montague Gardens Industrial (Industrial area profiled in the City of Cape Town's Economic Area Profiles): warehousing, logistics, light manufacturing, food processing
• Airport Industrial (Industrial area profiled in the City of Cape Town's Economic Area Profiles, named for its position beside the airport): warehousing, logistics, manufacturing
• Paarden Eiland Industrial (Industrial area profiled in the City of Cape Town's Economic Area Profiles): printing, logistics, construction, manufacturing

Local authorities

• City of Cape Town, Environmental Health: Business licensing and Certificates of Acceptability for food premises, unannounced inspections and food sampling, and investigation of food-poisoning reports and other complaints.
• City of Cape Town, Wastewater and Industrial Effluent By-law 2013: A business producing industrial effluent from a manufacturing, agricultural or chemical process must apply for the City's permission to dispose of it; contravention can lead to fines or legal action.
• City of Cape Town, supplier portals: Runs a public tender portal and a procurement portal through which suppliers bid for City contracts.

National laws, regulators and accreditation are on the South Africa page.

Ports and logistics

• Port: Port of Cape Town (Transnet National Ports Authority)
• Airport: Cape Town International Airport (operated by ACSA, which has announced an upgrade programme)

Invest Cape Town says most of the city's exports go by sea and that Cape Town ships the largest volume of deciduous fruit and fish in the country, which keeps cold-chain and freight firms under constant customer scrutiny.

Sterling in Cape Town

Served from Sterling's Johannesburg office. One team carries the work from scoping to certificate, with Effivity ISO & GRC software and preferential Sterling Academy access, with complimentary awareness training for your people. Sterling does not certify; certification decisions stay with independent bodies.

Nearby cities

• Johannesburg
• Durban
• Pretoria (Tshwane)
• Gqeberha
• Ekurhuleni

What the standards require, clause by clause

Before you start in Cape Town, read what each clause and subclause requires of you, how to implement it, the evidence auditors look for and the mistakes to avoid.

Questions Cape Town clients ask