Professional councils regulate the industry
Professional councils regulate and monitor complementary health products in South Africa. This is to ensure that the public is protected against dangerous products and scams.
Therefore, the import of most medical products requires permission from the Department of Health. However, as it is not clear what type of complementary products you intend to import, you would have to contact the Medicines Control Council of South-Africa (MCC) for more information: www.mccza.com
Most complementary health systems focus on a natural approach. Some of the common complementary health practices in South Africa that are recognised by the South African Department of Health include:
- Acupuncture
- Ayurveda
- Aromatherapy
- Homeopathy
- Western herbal medicine
- Naturopathy
- Chiropractic treatment
- Osteopathy
- Traditional Chinese Medicine
- Reflexology
- Traditional African medicine
- Personal care products.
These are regulated by the South African cosmetic industry which is a powerful self-regulation system and this industry abides by the requirements as set out in the CTFA. Some of the products are classified as “Free Sale.”
This mean that a document issued for certain commodities (such as pharmaceuticals), certifying that the specified imported goods are normally and freely sold in the exporting country’s open markets and are approved for export.
You need to establish if South Africa is an open market for the product that you intend to import. Contact the South African National Consumer Union for confirmation.