ISO 22301 certification in South Africa

ISO 22301 certification in South Africa at a glance

Recovery objectives are now regulatory text for South African financial institutions. Joint Standard 1 of 2023 on IT governance and risk management, issued by the FSCA and the Prudential Authority, requires recovery and resumption priorities with RTOs and RPOs for critical services, a geographically separate disaster recovery site, a business impact assessment and crisis management frameworks that address IT disruption. Joint Standard 2 of 2024 adds cyber resilience requirements and reaches information assets managed by third-party service providers. Neither instrument names ISO 22301, but a certified business continuity management system gives boards, internal auditors and supervisors one structure for the evidence, and gives service providers a clear answer when financial clients ask about resilience. Certification is issued by an accredited certification body; confirm that its accreditation covers ISO 22301 specifically. Sterling's Johannesburg office leads the business impact analysis, strategy, plans and exercises, with Sterling Academy training for the teams who will run them. The route and local questions are set out below.

Who needs ISO 22301 in South Africa, and what happens without it

In South Africa the question rarely comes from a law. It comes from the buyer, the regulator or the partner that wants proof before it signs. These are the organisations that get asked.

• Banks, insurers and other financial institutionsJoint Standard 1 of 2023 requires RTOs and RPOs, a separate disaster recovery site and a business impact assessment.
• Financial institutions building cyber resilienceJoint Standard 2 of 2024 sets cyber resilience requirements.
• IT, BPO and managed service providers to financial institutionsClients must account for third-party providers in their resilience arrangements.
• Logistics and manufacturing operations in the SEZsCustomers ask how supply will continue through disruption.

ISO 22301 requirements in South Africa

Strip away the vocabulary and ISO 22301 requires a company to prove six things about how it keeps operating when something goes wrong.

In South Africa these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: ISO 22301 explained →

• ISO 22301 requirements, clause by clause in plain language
• The documents ISO 22301 expects

How to get ISO 22301 certified in South Africa

One team from the Johannesburg office carries the work from scoping to certificate. On-site from the Johannesburg (Sandown) office across Gauteng and, by arrangement, other provinces; remote delivery for distributed teams.

1. Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
2. Gap assessment against ISO 22301 and the South African requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
3. Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
4. Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before the certification body arrives.
5. Certification body stage 1 and stage 2, then surveillanceAn accredited body audits and decides. Sterling supports the audits and the three-year cycle.

The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.

• The ISO 22301 certification process, step by step
• ISO 22301 internal audit

How long does ISO 22301 certification take in South Africa?

There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In South Africa these are the factors that set the timeline.

• Number of critical products, services and sites in scope
• Business impact analysis and risk assessment depth
• Exercise programme results available before stage 2
• Certification body scheduling around the December–January holiday period

Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.

• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does ISO 22301 certification cost in South Africa?

The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and the certification body’s audit fees, which are quoted separately. In South Africa these factors move both.

• Number of sites and critical activities
• Recovery site and IT recovery arrangements
• Certification body audit fees quoted separately from consulting
• Alignment with Joint Standard 1 of 2023 evidence

Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.

• What makes up the cost of ISO 22301

ISO 22301 consultants and certification bodies in South Africa

Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; an accredited certification body then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.

• Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers ISO 22301 and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
• Ask the consultant how the local requirements in South Africa are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
• Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
• Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.

ISO 22301 in South Africa: questions clients ask

More on ISO 22301 for South African organisations

• ISO 22301: the complete guide
• Watch: How to implement ISO 22301
• Sterling in Johannesburg
• ISO 22301 certification in South Africa and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards South African businesses ask Sterling for

Organisations in South Africa often combine ISO 22301 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 21 standards Sterling delivers in South Africa →