Terms and conditions

01Scope

These terms govern the use of this website and membership of Association of Professional Artisans of South Africa NPC (registration 2024/645081/08). By submitting an application you accept them, and you confirm that you have read the privacy notice.

Where a resolution of the board or a rule adopted at a general meeting conflicts with these terms, the resolution or rule prevails, and this page will be updated to match.

02Applying for membership

• An application is an offer to join. It is not accepted until the association notifies you in writing that it has been approved.
• You must give complete and truthful information and attach genuine supporting documents. A false statement or a forged document is grounds for immediate refusal or termination, and may be reported to the awarding body concerned and to the authorities.
• The association may verify any qualification, trade test result or reference with the body that issued it, and may ask you for further evidence before deciding.
• Applications are assessed against the published criteria for the category applied for. The association may offer a different category from the one applied for where the evidence supports it.
• The association may decline an application. Reasons will be given, and you may submit further evidence or appeal in writing within thirty days.

03Fees, invoicing and renewal

• No payment is taken through this website. On approval the office issues an invoice, payable by EFT or cash deposit into the APASA bank account shown on the membership page.
• Membership begins on the date the fee is received in full and runs for twelve months.
• Fees are not pro rated and are not refundable once a designation and certificate have been issued.
• Renewal notices are sent before expiry. A membership that is not renewed within sixty days of expiry lapses, and the designation may no longer be used.
• Fees are reviewed annually. Any change is announced at least one month before it takes effect and does not affect a period already paid for.
• Individual membership is a flat R300 per year in every category. Corporate membership is R2 000 per year for smaller companies and R5 000 for bigger companies. A three year corporate commitment attracts the published discount, invoiced annually.

04Use of designations

A designation is granted to a person, for as long as that person remains in good standing. It is not property and it is not transferable.

• You may use the post nominal letters for the designation you hold, and only while your membership is current.
• You may not describe yourself as holding a category you have not been granted, nor imply that the association endorses a product, an employer or a service.
• The association name, mark and certificates may not be reproduced or altered without written permission.
• On lapse, suspension or termination you must stop using the designation and the mark immediately, and remove them from stationery, signage and online profiles.

05Code of conduct

Every member undertakes to:

• Work only within the trade and the level of competence they actually hold, and to say so plainly when a job falls outside it
• Comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and with the safety rules of the site they are working on
• Do work to the applicable standard, specification and code of practice
• Deal honestly with clients, employers, colleagues and apprentices, and quote fairly for work
• Support the training of apprentices and pass on the trade properly
• Keep a current record of continuing professional development and submit it when asked
• Report to the association any criminal conviction, or any finding against them by another professional body, that bears on their fitness to practise
• Not bring the trade or the association into disrepute

06Complaints and discipline

• A complaint against a member must be made in writing to the secretariat, with the evidence relied on.
• The member is given the complaint in full and at least fourteen days to answer it.
• A panel appointed by the board considers the complaint and the answer. It may dismiss the complaint, issue a caution, require further training, suspend the designation, or terminate membership.
• The member may appeal to the board within thirty days of the decision. The board’s decision is final within the association.
• Nothing in this process limits the right of either party to approach a court, the CCMA or a regulator.

07The jobs portal

• The association introduces verified members to employers. It is not an employment agency and it is not a party to any contract of employment that follows.
• No member is ever charged for being put forward for work.
• The association confirms the qualification and the experience on record. It gives no warranty about performance, and it makes no promise that an introduction will be made or that work will follow.
• Employers remain responsible for their own checks, for lawful recruitment, and for the terms they offer.

08Use of this website

The content of this site is provided for information. We take care to keep it accurate and current, but fees, criteria and processes change, and the position confirmed in writing by the office prevails over anything published here.

• You may not attempt to gain access to any part of the site you have not been granted access to, nor submit content that is unlawful or that carries malicious code.
• You may not use automated means to submit applications or enquiries.
• Text, photographs, the association mark and the layout of this site belong to the association or to its licensors and may not be copied for commercial use without permission.

09Liability

To the extent permitted by law, the association is not liable for indirect or consequential loss, for loss of profit or contract, or for any loss arising from work performed by a member. A member acts in their own capacity or for their employer, never as an agent of the association.

Nothing in these terms excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded, including liability under the Consumer Protection Act where it applies.

10General

• These terms are governed by the law of the Republic of South Africa, and the parties submit to the jurisdiction of its courts.
• If a provision is found to be unenforceable, the rest continues to apply.
• The association may amend these terms. The current version is always the one published on this page, with the date shown alongside the contents.
• Notices to the association should be sent to info@apasa-npc.org.za, or delivered to the registered office at 463044 D995 Road, Adams Mission, Amanzimtoti, 4126, KwaZulu-Natal. Notices to a member are sent to the last email address given to the office, and it is the member’s responsibility to keep it current.