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DEPARTMENT OF TRADE, INDUSTRY AND COMPETITION
 NO. 216 15 March 2021GOVERNMENT  NOTICES  • G OEWERMENTSKENNISGEWINGS   
1GOVERNMENT NOTICE
DEPARTMENT OF TRADE, INDUSTRY AND COMPETITION
No. R                                                                                                          2021
NATIONAL REGULATOR FOR COMPULSORY SPECIFICATIONS ACT, 2008 (Act 5 of 
2008), AS AMENDED THROU GH LEGAL METROLOGY ACT (Act 9 of 2014)
THE AMENDMENT OF THE COMPULSORY SPECIFICATION FOR CEMENT –VC 9085
It is hereby made known under section 13(4) of the National Regulator for Compulsory 
Specifications Act, (Act 5 of 2008), that the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition ,
intends to amend VC 9085 ,the Compulsory Specification for Cement, as set out in the 
attached Schedule.
Any person, who wishes to comment on the intention of the Minister to thus amend the 
Compulsory Specification concerned, shall submit their comments, in writing, to the Chief 
Executive Officer, National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications, Private Bag X25, 
Brooklyn, 0075, on or before the date two (2) months after the publication of this notice. 
Ebrahim Patel
Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition
Ebrahim Patel
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SCHEDULE  
 
THE AMENDED COMPULSORY SPECIFICATION FOR CEMENT  
 
1. SCOPE  
This Compulsory S pecification covers the re quirements for the manufacture, marking, 
properties and performance of cement, intended for construction use, irrespective of whether 
distributed in bulk or bagged form.  
 
2. DEFINITIONS  
 
2.1 The definitions in  the following South African  National Standards (SANS) apply for the 
purposes of this Compulsory S pecification , unless the context indicates otherwise – 
 
2.1.1  SANS 50197 -1, Cement  - Part 1: Composition, specifications and conformity 
criteria for common cements  (herein after referred to as SANS 50197 -1);  
 
2.1.2  SANS 50413 -1, Masonry cement  - Part 1 Composition, specifications and 
conformity criteria (herein after referred to as SANS 50413 -1);  and  
 
2.1.3  SANS 50197-2, Cement - Part 2: Conformity evaluation , (herein after referred to 
as SANS 50197 -2).  
 
2.2 In addition to the definitions  in 2.1, the following apply  - 
 
2.2.1  Applicant:  a manufacturer  or an importer  seeking approva l of cement. The 
applicant must  be an established legal entity within the Republic of South Africa ;  
 
2.2.2  Approval:  confirmation by the NRCS through the issuance of a Letter of 
Authority certificate in accordance with Annexure A of this Compulsory 
Specification,  that a particular cement manufacturing facility  or a dispatching 
centre operated by an importer  and a type of cement manufactured or supplied 
from therein satisfies the requirements of this Compulsory S pecification;  
 
2.2.3  Cement:  a hydraulic binder used for construction purposes as defined in SANS 
50197 -1 for Common cements  and SANS 50413 -1 for Masonry cement .  
 
2.2.4  Certification body: An accredited t hird-party conformity assessment body 
appointed by a manufacturer  or importer  to assess the conformity of cement 
against the requirements of this Compulsory Specification; and recognised by the 
Regulator in terms of the NRCS’s Conformity Assess ment Policy ; This gazette is also available free online at www.gpwonline.co.za STAATSKOERANT, 15 MAART 2021 No. 44275  5
  
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 2.2.5  Experimental type approval permit : a temporary permit  issued in terms of 
Section 14(5) of the NRCS Act, Act 5 of 2008 as amended, to grant permission 
to a manufacturer to produce adequate  quantities of a new type of cement  for the 
purposes of conformity evaluation by a certification body in order to obtain 
product certification  and t hereafter approval by the NRCS;  
 
2.2.6  Importer:  An established legal entity within the Republic of South Africa that 
imports cement;  
 
2.2.7  Letter of Authority (LOA) certifica te: as defined in section 1 of the National 
Regulator for Compulsory specifications Act  of 2008 (Act No. 5 of 2008 ) as 
amended through the Legal Metrology Act (Act no. 9 of 2014) ; and issued in 
accordance with Annexure A o f this Compulsory Specification;  
 
2.2.8  Manufacturer : An entity that produces blends o r pac ks cement or cement 
blends;  
 
2.2.9  Regulator: The National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications as established 
by the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications Act, 2008 (Act No. 5 of 
2008) as amended  by Legal Metrology Act, 2014 (Act No.9 of 2014) ; and  
 
2.2.10  A type of cement  : A category of cement that does not differ in such essential 
respects as:  
a) The facility used by the manufacturer for the production of the cement type, 
and/or  
b)  Composition, strength c lass and physical and chemical properties.  
 
 
3. SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS  
 
3.1 Common cements must comply with the requirements of the latest edition of SANS 
50197- 1, and Masonry cement must comply  with the requirements of the latest edition 
of SANS 50413 -1.  
 
3.2 A manufacturer  or an importer  must  appoi nt an accredited Certification b ody to perform 
functions in terms of the requirements of Sections 5 and 7, or Sections 9.3.1 and 9.3.2 
of SANS 50197 -2. 
 
3.3 An importer  must  meet  the requirements for  an intermediary as set out in S ection 9 of 
SANS 50197 -2 and appoint an accredited Certification B ody to  perform the  requirements This gazette is also available free online at www.gpwonline.co.za6  No. 44275 GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 15 MARch 2021
  
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 given in s ection 5.1 of SANS 50197 -2 and tasks given in S ection s 9.3.1 and 9.3.2 of 
SANS 50197 -2.  
 
3.4 A type of cement must be approved in accordance with the requirements of Annexure A 
of this Compulsory Specification.  
 
3.5 An LOA certificate  that was granted for a type of cement must still be valid when the type 
of cement is being  manufactured,  imported , sold or supplied in the market.  
 
3.6 A manufacturer must apply in accordance with Annexure B of this Compulsory 
Specification for a temporary experimental type approval permit to produce adequate 
quantities of a new type of cement for the purposes of conformi ty evaluation by a 
certification body in order to obtain product certification.  
 
3.7 An importer  must perform the tasks  of the intermediary  prescribed in Sect ion 9 of SANS 
50197- 2. 
 
3.8 An importer  must  notify the NRCS in advance of every consignment to be imported. The 
consignment may be made up of a number of smaller deliveries of the same cement 
product, as in the case of deliveries by road.  
 
3.9 A manufacturer  or an importer  and their appointed Certific ation B ody shall each 
undertake  in writing, to immediate ly report any failure to confo rm to the requirements of 
this C ompulsory specification, of whatever nature, to the Regulator.  
 
3.10 The holder of an approval must notify the NRCS of every modification to the type of 
cement itself, its conformity evaluation proce sses and information that must appear on 
each bag of cement prior to implementation by means of an application for an extension 
of approval  in accordance with item A.4 of this Compulsory Specification.  
 
3.11 The Holder of the approval must  satisfy the requirement as set out in Regulation 2 
relating to the payment of fees in the form of levies as published by Government Notice 
no R.  924 (Government Gazette no. 33615) of 15 October 2010.  
 
4. REQUIREMENTS FOR PACKAGING AND MARKINGS  
 
4.1 The packaging of cement must  be marked in accordance with the following 
requirements: - 
 
4.1.1  The NRCS Approval N umber  assigned to the particular type of cement in the 
relevant Letter of Authority  certificate issued in accordance with Annexure A of This gazette is also available free online at www.gpwonline.co.za STAATSKOERANT, 15 MAART 2021 No. 44275  7
  
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 this Compulsory Specification  must be legibly and indelibl y marked on the  
packaging of the cement in the following format:  
“NRCS Approval”  followed by the appropriate LOA  number  
4.1.2  In the case of unapproved cement covered by an experimental type approval 
permit, the permit identification number  assigned to the particular type of 
cement in the relevant permit issued in accordance with Annexure B of this 
Compulsory Specification  must be legibly and indelibly marked on the  packaging 
of the cement;  
 
4.1.3  The standard (SANS)  under wh ich the cement was manufactured;  
 
4.1.4  Markings  as required in Clause 6 of SANS 50413 -1 for M asonry cements;  
 
4.1.5  The standard designation in accordance with Clause   8 of SANS 50197 -1, for 
common cements;  
 
4.1.6  The manufacturer 's name and either his trade name or trademark, and  the name 
of the importer  if differe nt from the manufacturer ; 
 
4.1.7  Identity of the factory where the cement was produced;  
 
4.1.8  A date or code that provides traceability to the day of packing, or desp atch in the 
case of bulk cement;  
 
4.1.9  Manufacturer ’s guidelines for the use of the type and grade of cement: and 
precautions to be observed in its use ;  
 
4.1.10  For masonry cement, a stateme nt indicating its intended use in  the following 
manner:   “MASONRY CEMENT , INTENDED  TO BE USED FOR 
PREPARATION OF MORTAR AND  PLASTER ONLY ”; 
 
4.1.11  For common cement, information must be given on the product, label, packaging 
and/or commercial documents in accordance with an example given in Figure 
ZA.1 of SANS 50197 -1, if applicable;  
 
4.1.12  For masonry cement, information must be given on the product, labe l, packaging 
and/or commercial documents in accordance with an example given in Figure 
ZA.1 of SANS 50413 -1, if applicable;  
 
4.2 The mass of the contents must  be marked in accordance with the applicable 
requirements of SANS 289 , Labelling requirements for prepackaged products This gazette is also available free online at www.gpwonline.co.za8  No. 44275 GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 15 MARch 2021
  
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 (prepackages) and general requirements for the sale of goods subject to legal metrology 
control.  
 
5. EXCLUSIONS  
 
5.1 For the purposes of this Compulsory S pecification the following  requirements are 
excluded :- 
 
5.1.1  All references and requirements  related to the CE Conformity M ark in SANS 
50197- 1, SAN S 50197 -2 and SANS 50413 -2; 
 
5.1.2  All references to a notified body in SANS 50197 -1; 
 
5.1.3  Clause 9.3.3 of SANS 50197 -2. 
 
5.2 All references to European Standard in SANS 50197 -1, SANS 50197 -2 and SANS 
50413- 2 shall be read to mean SANS.  
 
6. TRANSITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS REGARDING CONFORMITY TO REFERENCED 
SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL STANDARDS (SANS)  
 
6.1 For the purposes of this Compulsory Specification, a new edition of a referenced SANS 
shall become effective six  (6) months from the date of publication . 
 
6.2 When a new edition of a referenced SANS is published, products originally approved in 
accordance with the previous edition of that standard may have their approval extended 
for up to a year from the effective date of the new standard, subject to the requir ements 
of Annexure A of this Compulsory Specification , unless declared otherwise by the 
Minister.  
 
6.3 The Letters of Authority (LOA) Certificates that were issued by the National Regulator 
for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) for approved types of cement in accordance with 
VC 9085, the Compulsory Specification for Cement published by Government Notice 
No. R. 544 (Government Gazette 30023) of 6 July 2007 shall expire in 5 years from the 
date of publication of this Compulsory Specification. 
 
 
 
 
 
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                                                             ANNEXURE A  
(NORMATIVE ) 
APPROVAL OF CEMENT  
 
A1. APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL  
 
A1.1  A manufacturer or an importer must apply for the approval of each and every type of 
cement before it is imported, sold or supplied in the market. 
 
A1.2  The application shall include the following information:  
 
A1.2.1  Details of the type of cement for which approval is sought and the standards 
(SANS) to which it is claimed to conform;  
 
A1.2.2  Identification (name of plant, physical location, contact details, etc.) of the 
manufacturing plants for which approval is sought;  
 
A1.2.3  A copy /copies of product certification certificate (s) issued by a Certification 
Body appointed in accordance with 3.2 of this Compulsory Specific ation and 
in terms of Sections 5.2, 5.3 and 5.4 of SANS 50197 -2, or in terms of Section 
5.5 of SANS 50197 -2, as relevant;  
  
A1.2.4  Markings and other information to be printed on the packaging, with a 
breakdown of any codes indicating factory or packing plant of origin and/or 
date of packaging; and  
 
A1.2.5  Any additional information relevant to the application for clarification 
purposes, as may be requested by the NRCS.  
 
A1.3  An application for LOA must  be accompanied by the relevant fee (s) required in 
accordance with the latest publication of the Regulations relating to the payment of 
levy and fees with regard to compulsory specifications as amended; published under 
section 14(3) (b) of the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications Act, (Act 5 
of 2008).  
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 A2. APPROVAL OF CEMENT  
 
A2.1  The NRCS shall grant approval for application submitted in accordance with A1 when 
satisfied that the type of cement meets the requirements of this Compulsory 
Specification; and all applicable fees and levies have been paid in full.  
 
A2.2  The NRCS shall assign a unique Approval Number to each in  respect of each type 
of cement approved;  
 
A2.3  The NRCS shall confirm the approval granted for compliance with the requirements 
of this VC by issuing to the Applicant, a Letter of Authority certificate (LOA)  bearing 
the unique Approval Number referred to  in A2.2 of this Compulsory Specification.  
 
A2.4  The validity period of an LOA issued in accordance with A2.3  of this Compulsory 
Specification shall be five consecutive years from the date of issue. The LOA shall 
expire or rendered invalid immediately thereafter, unless it is renewed with the 
Regulator in accordance with the requirements of item A2.3 of this comp ulsory 
specification.  
 
A2.5  The LOA certificate is the sole proof of approval by the Regulator.  
 
A.3 RENEWAL OF LOA CERTIFICATES  
 
 
A3.1  The approval granted by the NRCS in terms of A2.3  shall be reviewed every 5 years 
to confirm continued adherence to the prescribed approval conditi ons for the specific 
type of Cement . 
 
A3.2  The Holder of an approval must apply for the renewal of an LOA certificate for a type 
of cement at least three (3) calendar months prior to the date of expiration of the 
current LOA certificate. The application for renewal must include the following 
informati on as a minimum:  
 
i. The details of the holder of the approval;  
ii. The description of the type(s) of cement.  
iii. The LOA numbers to be renewed;  
iv. A valid product certification certificate for the type of cement as required by 
paragraph A1.2.3 of this Compulsory Specif ication.  
 
 
A3.3  The renewed LOA certificate issued in accordance with A3.2 shall bear the same 
unique approval number that was assigned to the original (initial) LOA issued for the 
specific type of cement in accordance with A2.3 of this Compulsory Specification. This gazette is also available free online at www.gpwonline.co.za STAATSKOERANT, 15 MAART 2021 No. 44275  11
 
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 A4. EXTENSION OF APPROVAL  
 
A4.1  The Holder of an LOA may apply for an extension of approval by the NRCS to 
modify (change/amend) or extend (include new technical information  pertaining 
packaging material and brand names; with the exception of material composition of 
the cement ) in the original approval conditions of an already approved type of 
cement.  
 
A4.2  The application for the extension approval will be in accordance with item A1                    
(Application for Approval) of this Compulsory Specification.  
 
A4.3  The NRCS may require further evidence of conformity demonstrating compliance 
with this Comp ulsory specification. 
 
A4.4  Conformation or refusal of approval, specifying the modifications must be 
communicated by the procedure specified in A2 of this Compulsory Specification.  
 
A4.5  The NRCS issuing the extension of approval must assign a series number for such 
an extension and inform thereof by means of an LOA certificate in the format in 
Annex  A to this Compulsory Specification . 
 
A4.6  The validity period of an LOA APPROVAL EXTENDED  certificate  must be the same 
as the one in the original (initial) LOA certificate tha t was issued for the type of 
cement  in accordance with A2.3 of this Compulsory Specification.  
 
A4.7  The NRCS must communicate  the reason(s) for the refusal of an extensi on of an 
approval, where applicable.  
 
A5.  WITHDRAWAL  OF APPROVAL  
 
A5.1  The NRCS may withdraw the approval granted to  the applicant for a type of Cement  
granted in accordance with this Compulsory Specification, by notifying the applicant 
in writing, if the requirements have not been met or the approval conditions have 
not been maintained.  
 
A5.2  The NRCS shall withdraw the a pproval granted to a type of c ement  in the event the 
Holder of the LOA fails to apply for the renewal of an LOA certificate and thus the 
LOA expires or becomes invalid after the stated validity period by notifying the 
Holder of the concerned LOA of the withdrawal in writing.  
 
A5.3  Any LOA withdrawn in accordance with items A5.1  or A5.2 of this Compulsory 
Specification as applicable is not renewable after the formal notice of withdrawal is 
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 ANNEXURE B  
(NORMATIVE )  
 
EXPER IMENTAL TYPE APPROVAL PERMITS FOR CEMENT  
 
B1. APPLICATION FOR A PERMIT FOR EXPERIMENTAL TYPE APPROVAL  OF CEMENT  
 
B1.1  The applicant shall apply to the Regulator for an experimental type approval permit 
in terms of section 14(5) of Act No. 5 of 2008 (hereinafter referred to as “a permit”) 
before the commencement of the manufacturing of such cement by completing and 
submitt ing a prescribed application form that shall be obtained from the NRCS.  
 
B1.2  The application form shall include the following information: - 
 
B1.2.1  Details of the type of cement for which the permit is being sought and the 
standards (SANS) to which it will conform;  
 
B1.2.2  Identification (name of plant, physical location, contact details, etc.) of the 
manufacturing plants for which approval is sought;  
 
B1.2.3  Evidence of the appointment of a Certification Body appointed in 
accordance with 3.2 of thi s Compulsory Specification i.e. a copy of 
agreement with the certification body, a letter from the certification body 
confirming the appointment or any other document acceptable to the 
NRCS;  
 
B1.2.4  Markings and other information to be printed on the packaging, with a 
breakdown of any codes indicating factory or packing plant of origin and/or 
date of packaging; and  
 
B1.2.5  any additional information relevant to the application for clarification 
purposes, as may be requested by the NRCS . 
 
 
B2. THE ISSUANCE OF THE PERMIT FOR EXPERIMENTAL TYPE APPROVAL  
 
B2.1  The NRCS shall issue a permit for an application submitted in accordance with B1 
when satisfied that there are adequate arrangements to conduct conformity 
evaluation of the new type of cement against the requirements of this Compulsory 
Specification and that all applicable fees have been paid in full.  
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 B2.2  The NRCS shall issue a per mit bearing a unique identification number and a validity 
period not exceeding a period of 12 months from the date the permit is issued to 
each type of experimental cement approved in terms B2.1  of this Compulsory 
Specification.  
 
B2.3  The permit in accordance with B.2.2 shall be granted with the following conditions 
of issue: - 
 
B2.3.1  The permit is applicable only to the type of cement as identified in it;  
 
B2.3.2  The permit is valid for the stated period and may not be extended;  
 
B2.3.3  The permit is issued without alterations and is only for use by the person 
to whom it is addressed and may not be given, sold, ceded and/or traded 
to any party;  
 
B2.3.4  Should a consumer complaint be received by the NRCS regarding the 
safety of the type of C ement in respect of which the permit is granted and 
in the absence of acceptable corrective action, the NRCS reserves the 
right to revoke it with immediate effect;  
 
B2.3.5    Should the applicant permit breach any of the conditions or terms 
stipulated and  agreed upon in this document, including any other 
document involved within this process, the CEO shall have the right to 
revoke the permit;  
 
B2.3.6  Records of all distributed cement that fall under the permit shall be 
maintained for traceability purposes and be made available to the NRCS 
upon request;  
 
B2.3.7  The permit does not cover modifications to the type of cement as identified 
in it. Any modifications to the type of cement itself, its label and product 
information sheet shall be formally notified accordingly to the NRCS prior 
to implementation. Such modifications shall require a new application for 
a permit;  
 
B2.3.8  The cement produced shall comply with the compulsory specification 
except for the permitted nonconformity covered by the permit;  and  
 
B2.3.9  The applicant to whom a permit is issued must perform the following duties:  
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 a) Submit all auto -control results as and when gener ated by the 
certification body;  
b) Provide samples when directed b y the NRCS to verify compliance;  
c) Ensure that product certification is achieved within the period agreed 
with the NRCS; and  
d) Apply for approval in accordance with Annexure A of this Compulsory 
Speciation before the validity period of the permit granted lapses; or, 
submit an application for a new permit in the case where the permit 
expires before the achievement of product certification.  
 
B2.4  The NRCS may impose any other additional condition to those in B2.3  as may be 
necessary and relevant; to manage any other risk associated with the di stribution 
or use of the product identified during the assessment of the application of the 
permit.  
 
B3.  WITHDRAWAL OF EXPERIMENTAL TYPE APPROVAL PERMIT  
 
The NRCS may withdraw the permit  granted to the applicant for a type of cement  granted in 
accordance with this Compulsory Specification, by notifying the applicant in writing, if the 
requirements have not been met or the approval conditions have not been maintained.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 ANNEXURE C  
 
NORMATIVE REFERENCES  
 
C1. This Compulsory Specification incorporates dated or undated references, 
provisions from other publications that are mandatory for its context and application. 
Some of these references are cited at the appropriate places in the text and others 
indicate Legislati on and Regulations that are the generally applicable.  
 
C2.   For dated references, subsequent amendments to or revisions of any of these 
publications apply to this Compulsory Specification only when incorporated in it by 
amendment or revision; and for undated references the latest edition of the 
publication referred to applies.  
 
C3.   The following documents are mandatory for the context and application of this 
Compulsory Specification: - 
 
C3.1     National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications Act, 2008 (Act No. 5 of 
2008), as amended as amended through the Legal Metrology Act (Act no. 
9 of 2014);  
 
C3.2       Legal Metrology Act, 2014 (Act No.9 of 2014);  
 
C3.3      Regulations in terms of section 36 of the National Regulator for 
Compulsory Specifications Act, 2008 published in Government Notice No. 
R. 924 ( Government Gazette  No. 33615) of 15 October 2010;  
 
C3.4      Regulations relating to the gazetting of levy periods as amended  published 
in Government Notice No. R. 101 (Government Gazette  No. No. 38479 ) of 
20 February 2015 ;  
 
C3.5      The latest publication of  Regulations Relating to the payment of levies and 
fees with regard to Compulsory Specifications under section 14(3) (b) of 
National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications Act, 2008 (Act No. 5 of 
2008);  
 
C3.6       The   NRCS’s Conformity Assessment Policy (NRCS - CPO 112); as may be 
amended from time to time.  
 
C3.7  The NRCS’s Sales permit and permit for experimental type approval 
application handling policy and procedure (NRCS -CPP 129 -00); as may 
be amended from time to time.  
 
C3.8      SANS 50197 -1, Cement - Part 1: Composition, specifications and 
conformity criteria for common cements;   
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 C3.9     SANS 50413 -1, Masonry cement - Part 1: Composition, specifications and 
conformity criteria; and  
 
C3.10       SANS 50197 -2, Cement Part 2: Conformity evaluation.  
 
C3.11    SANS 289 , Labelling  requirements for prepackaged products 
(prepackages) and general  requirements for the sale of goods subject to 
legal metrology control.  
 