Category: Legal

7.32% of operators in the market can be considered legally compliant!

Adventure Motorcycle Guided Tours in the Republic of South Africa, Legislation, Statutory Requirements & Legal Compliance

Purpose

The purpose of this document is to inform and educate prospective customers and tourism service providers within the South African adventure motorcycling market, both foreign and local customers, vendors, service providers and affiliates. The document is intended to inform said market and its end users of the existence of governing legislation, certain responsibilities and legal liabilities associated thereto which affect both the customer and the vendor alike.

Scope

Adventure Guiding is the third sector of three main guiding disciplines in South Africa. They are Culture, Nature and Adventure. This document’s scope is focussed on legislation surrounding professional (“Registered”) as well as unregistered adventure guiding of motorcycle tours, be it leading one customer or a group of customers. The scope is inclusive of any and/or all event organisation surrounding the same activity within the borders of the Republic of South Africa.

Further to the abovementioned, the scope of qualification is that of a Generic Site Adventure Guide (GASG) as recognised by SAQA and managed by CATHSSETA as an established NQF4 Level Qualification which is based on set unit standards.

The scope of this document further relates to the constraints of operation as imposed by the National Tourism Act No. 3 of 2014.

Best Practice

Best practices are described in this document, within the scope and given context of the document as being the operational practice of vendors and service providers either arranging guided tours, motorcycle rides or sponsoring events which incorporate the same service in a manner which is considered to be legal within the terms and definitions of the Law of The Republic of South Africa.

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Statutory Bodies

The statutory bodies associated with the legislation in question as well as tasked with both  enforcing it as well as administrating it are as follows;

Eastern Cape ProvinceEastern Cape Parks & Tourism Agency
Free State ProvinceDepartment of Tourism and Economic Affairs
Gauteng ProvinceGauteng Department of Economic Development
Kwa-Zulu Natal ProvinceDepartment of Economic Development Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA)
Limpopo ProvinceDepartment of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism
Mpumalanga ProvinceMpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency
North West ProvinceNorth West Department of Tourism
Northern Cape ProvinceDepartment of Economic Development and Tourism
Western Cape ProvinceDepartment of Economic Development and Tourism
NationalSouth African Qualifications Authority (SAQA)
NationalCulture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority (CATHSSETA)

In each of the nine provinces appointed departments of the National Department of Tourism (NDT) is managed by a provincial registrar who is appointed with the responsibility of administrating the issuance of tourism guides registration numbers and tourism agency/company numbers within their given province. There is an overarching National Registrar who ultimately reports to the Minister of Tourism.

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The Act and Applicable Legislation

The Act (Tourism Act No. 3 of 2014) serves ‘To provide for the development and promotion of sustainable tourism for the benefit of the Republic, its residents and its visitors; to provide for the continued existence of the South African Tourism Board; to provide for the establishment of the Tourism Grading Council; to regulate the tourist guide profession; to repeal certain laws; and to provide for matters connected therewith.’

Referring to the above extract from the Act, aside of references to good standing Section 50’s subsection (2) “proof of competence” and subsection (3), (d) are those deemed to be the most likely to land an unregistered guide or touring company on the wrong side of the Law. It is parts that elude to the Acts purpose in assuring that tourist, customer or end user’s best interests are upheld, that quality service is offered and that their safety and wellbeing is observed and protected whilst they are being guided or receiving guiding or tourism related services from a vendor acting as either a guide or tourism company.

It is this section, subsections and clauses that encompass the principals of “Duty of Care” and closely linked thereto “Negligence” when duty of care has not been upheld by a party. It is when an event, incident or accident occurs and parties begin to establish or seek liability that the aforesaid principals of the Law are tested and/or implemented in a punitive manner. The most common manner in which this occurs is prosecution by the responsible statutory body and/or through litigation in civil courts of law.

There are many a tourism operator who believe that an indemnity form or waiver signed by their customer/client safe guards or limits their personal liability, however, said waiver or indemnity is in fact only as good as the ability of the operator/guide to prove their competence which is ultimately tested against compliance with sections 50 and 51 of the Tourism Act No. 3 of 2014.

Further to the above the prohibitions and clear instruction with regards to providing tourism or guiding services is detailed in section 57 of the Act as follows in the extract hereunder.

It is noteworthy to mention that in the eyes of the Law and within the context and scope covered by this document that a company or person(s) employing and/or soliciting the services of an unregistered guide or tourism company are complicit by way of ‘Ignorantia juris non excusat or ignorantia legis neminem excusat’, the aforesaid legal principal in Law which states ‘that a person who is unaware of a law may not escape liability for violating that Law merely because one was unaware of its content.’

Requirements for Legal Compliance by a Tourist Guide and/or Tourism Company

1)

What is required before a person may make application to their local Registrar:

  • The applicant must be at least 17 years of age (18 for assessment).
  • Speak and understand the English language at NQF level 3.
  • The applicant must already be competent at the technical aspects of your activity. In the instance of this scope, the applicant must hold a valid full motorcycle licence.
  • In terms of routing, an applicant has two options with regards to gaining the required qualification which is required in order to make application to either a Provincial or National Registrar. The first route is to enrol in courses which are aligned to the agreed curriculum for GASG and where training is offered by CATHSSETA registered training providers, and more recently also the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO). The second route is that of Recognised Prior Learning (RPL), where an applicant is required to not only meet and achieve the unit standards set out for a GASG qualification but to also prove a requisite level of experience in the given sector, field and scope.
  • The applicant must have proven their competence academically by way of successfully achieving certain NQF4 level unit standards under the mentorship of a registered Assessor. Assessors noted as being registered with CATHSSETA and thus recognised by the Registrars as bona fide trainers, auditors and persons capable of vetting applicants.

The unit standards forming the GASG:

The modular breakdown of the actual program

 

  • The applicant must have proven that they are physically capable of performing the tasks required of them in the field in due course of performing a service to their Clients
  • Accrued and recorded experience in a logbook where the same experience can be ratified through written feedback or certificates supplied by CATHSSETA qualified trainers and/or previous Clients with regards to the specific activity or scope.
  • The applicant must have enrolled for first aid training by competent and qualified persons and successfully achieved a Level 3 1st Aid Certificate. Said certificate is mandatory document to be supplied when making application and for adventure guides already registered, their registration is only deemed to be current or valid where they hold a valid Level 3 1st Aid Certificate. Each and every 1st Aid Certificate has a finite period of validity and as such must be renewed periodically by guides.
  • The applicant must comply with Section 50 of the Act.
  • The applicant must sign and swear to uphold a code of conduct as set out in the Act.
  • Given that all of the above points are successfully achieved the applicant’s or applicants registered Assessor may then make submission to CATHSSETA (through the Training Provider) upon which CATHSSETA will issue a certificate with a certificate number which is both unique to the applicant’s credentials, identity and scope of qualification.
  • Once the applicant has received their certificate number from CATHSSETA they may take the same to either a Provincial or National Registrar for processing in order that the Registrar might issue a l guide registration number which is recorded in the provincial and national tourism guides register.

2)

The process detailed in Point 1 above has to be successfully completed in order for an adventure guide or adventure tourism company/agency employing registered guides to gain access to public liability insurance (PLI) and/or 3rd party cover.

3)

The above Points 1 & 2 pertain to guide registrations, in the instance of appointing a single entity to plan, arrange and coordinate events such as outride events, tours or weekends away for groups of riders where said entity is responsible for maintaining safety, marshalling and arranging accommodation, hospitality etc. then the company being employed strictly speaking needs to be a ‘registered tour operator’ which utilises the services of ‘registered adventure guides.’

4)

All of the above Points 1 – 3 amount to a business or person(s) exercising “Duty of Care” when arranging such events as mentioned above. To provide a hypothetical scenario or case study regarding the liabilities and risks involved for an individual or company arranging events, rides, tours and away weekends, let us consider a hypothetical worst case scenario where a rider and/or their pillion are seriously hurt, maimed or killed as well as where public property may have been damaged or 3rd parties injured, affected or killed i.e. other motorists or pedestrians involved in an accident.

The first thing that any ambulance chasing attorney will do is to go after the organiser or sponsor of the event, attempt to establish whether all necessary precautions were taken into account in order to limit or mitigate the chance and risk of an incident/accident occurring and whether said mitigating actions involved people deemed to be competent to lead, coordinate or facilitate such an activity.

It is usually at this point that a litigator will look to what is the nearest and most applicable legislation that applies to the incident which in this instance is essentially a tourism based activity or event as you are leading people to pre-arranged destinations by way of a guided activity, as such the Tourism Act No. 3 of 2014 will come into play or there will at least be reference made thereto.

If a claimant or claimant’s lawyer/attorney pursue a case against the Road Accident Fund (RAF) then the RAF’s defending counsel (which is likely to be well versed in similar cases) will invariably seek to take action which sees the focus of their defence heading in the direction of “negligence on the basis of abrogation of duty of care” In proving that duty of care was not exercised by the parties concerned the Claimant’s counsel will more than likely turn to the Tourism Act. In turning to the Tourism Act the national Registrar for South Africa guides will be contacted in order to verify whether or not the individual or company guiding a person or group was registered, qualified and deemed to be competent etc.

You then possibly have all sorts or arguments being made by a claimant’s counsel along the lines of, “the organiser did not brief or explain to the Claimant what sort of road surfaces would be encountered” or “the organiser did not ensure that the riders had an adequate level of competence to participate in the event and as such led an unsuspecting customer into a dangerous situation” or “the organiser(s) did not thoroughly brief the group before embarking on the activity.”

5)

Further to Point 4 above, it is also not impossible that underwriters and insurers may seek compensation for losses and damages incurred as a result of negligence proven through a court case and ruling.

6)

The requirements for legal compliance of a Tourism Company or Tourism Agency are as follows:

  • That the company is registered with a tourism association.
  • That the company employs registered, qualified and competent tourist guides for the given scope of their intended activities and services offered to customers and clients.
  • That the company holds current and active public liability / 3rd party insurance.
  • That the company is registered by the Registrar in the province in which the company is registered and based.
  • That the company and its registered guides are in good standing with the Act’s Code of Conduct, ethics and any other applicable statutory bodies of the Republic of South Africa.

7)

A number of operators in the given market list membership and/or association with tourism associations and/or bonding agents such as SATSA, some even cite pseudo qualifications by way of training or certificates offered by large brands such as BMW Motorrad, however, membership with such associations, agencies or ‘training’ received from large corporate brands does not constitute recognised legal registration with the Department of Tourism and its various provincial department offices and their Registrars.

Compliance Statistics

 The data represented hereunder has been collected through personal research via the internet, Google searches and by of word of mouth, thus, said data has not been audited or vetted by the respective provincial Registrars.

  • The total number of companies and/or single operators identified in the country as offering motorcycle tour guiding, tours or similar services to the market is forty one (41)
  • Of the forty one (41) operators identified, only three are noted as being legally registered with the Department of Tourism
  • Points 2 & 3 above imply that only 7.32% of operators in the market can be considered as being legally compliant

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Are Guides Who Lead Walking Tours Different?

We must define the duties, and examine the hazards faced by “walking  guides” before deciding what qualifications need to be held.

THE TERRAIN

“Walking guides” are those guides who lead groups on tours where the primary means of travel is on foot in remote areas, such as game reserves, the coastline or mountains, in fact, any area could be included where the party walks over terrain that has not been modified by permanent fixed walkways, and is remote enough that assistance can not be reached on foot within one hour. This makes it “Walking Guide” terrain.

Clients going on such a trip are in many cases not adequately prepared by the tour operator and guide for a trip into the outside environment. Serious problems arise when the “easy” walk gets more difficult because of unexpected changing conditions. Nobody is prepared for or recognises the changes, but the trip will often go on as planned. Modern civilisation makes the average person inefficient to travel in the outdoors. It strips us of our skills of walking in remote unmodified areas.

Says experienced Tour Guide Dave Sclanders,

“I believe that anyone who goes into the outdoor environment should have appropriate walking training and registration. (There is) a problem with large tour operators who have guides who have no ‘Mountain Experience’ taking day tours by foot into the mountains. If tour guides are city graded, that’s where they must stay.”

THE QUALIFICATIONS

The usual qualifications that tour guides hold fall into three main categories: Culture, Nature and Adventure. Neither the Culture nor Nature qualification unit standards have any “walking skills” built into them. (Although some providers may add some as extras) There are no requirements that the guide knows how to cope with for example:

• Group Leadership on foot in the outdoors,
• Navigation
• Hazardous obstacle avoidance
• Steep ground movement
• Water hazards

Only the Adventure Guide Qualifications include these as specific requirements.

Says Grant Hine of FGASA,

“Given the nature of and potential dangers in mountain areas it is imperative that Nature Guides working in this type of “speciality” environment attain the relevant mountain guiding unit standards over and above the nature unit standards, before being legally allowed to guide in these areas. “

This can apply to all on foot areas and not just mountain areas, as well as to all categories of guides and not just nature.

Searching rough terrain

ACCIDENT STATISTICS

Very few statistics are available that look at accidents and causes, but there is one good resource, the Mountain Club of SA – Cape Section, which looks at the Western Cape area over the last 100 years or so, (1881-2004), and the statistics are interesting:

Of 1041 accident entries in the database, 645 or 62% of accidents involved walkers, the highest of the eleven categories listed. Of 197 fatalities in the same period, 88 or 45% were walkers. Table Mountain was detailed as the most dangerous area of the Western Cape as the access is so easy, and it is still today the area where the most unsuitably qualified guides are leading walking trips.

DANGER POINTS

In outdoor & or remote areas…

  • Weather: Changes occur much faster and effects are more severe and the guide must know what to do, in all circumstances. Temperatures down to -10° C occur in mountains regularly in winter causing hypothermia. However, high temperatures can also occur, causing hyperthermia.
  • Altitude: 8 in 10 clients who go beyond 2400m above sea level will experience mild (or worse) symptoms of altitude sickness. High Altitude Pulmonary Oedema is possible in the Drakensberg. A person not treated correctly can die within 18 hours.
  • Fitness & Nutrition: The tough outdoors environment takes its toll on people who would be seen as fit on average tours. Energy consumption is higher and dehydration is more likely. Guides need to provide suitable meals and advice as well as closely monitoring the clients.
  • Injuries: Distances to get help are much greater. Often, the nearest help may be 2 hours to 2 days walk away. There are no easy communications and cell phones often do not work. Normal first aid courses are not suitable, especially the current minimum requirement of Level 1. There are specific protocols for alerting rescue teams that are not known or taught to normal guides.
  • Biodiversity in our remote areas is often more spectacular than in the more urban areas. The environment is much more sensitive to our impact. Guides need advanced environmental training to learn about this complex system, not only to tell guests about it, but to keep them safe and preserve it.
  • Distances: Trips led by walking guides vary from less than a kilometre to over 300 kilometres in South Africa. Walks are usually unsupported. A greater degree of fitness, strength and self-sufficiency is needed.
  • Navigation. Practiced skills and local knowledge are essential. Restricted visibility is very possible year round. Compasses are not usable in some remote areas due to magnetic aberrations and Guides must know how to use alternative methods. The survival of a group is dependent on the Guide being able to navigate in zero visibility. And this includes “urban areas” like Table Mountain.
  • Leadership qualities: A walking guide requires better leadership and team skills than a normal guide. Walking guides work 24 hours a day on tour. They are guide, friend, companion, shoulder to cry on, cook, dishwasher, general encyclopaedia and story teller. Many matters have to be attended to during the night, such as chasing away predators and standing guard over toilet visits.
  • Cultural heritage: Remote areas have a rich cultural heritage that requires specific knowledge. Visitors to rock art sites need special training, as do guides walking through sensitive tribal lands.
    10) Steep Terrain: Movement on this type of surface requires specialised training and skills which normal guides are not taught. A “walking rope” is invaluable.
  • Camping: There are no facilities in remote areas so specialised equipment is used. The use of this equipment is not taught to standard Guides, and some of this equipment can be highly dangerous in inexperienced hands.
  • Water hazards: Rivers and other water bodies are a significant hazard to anyone. Many people are killed each year trying to cross rivers incorrectly.
  • Dress: The outdoors requires specific dress codes, especially if one is to stay out overnight. Simple things like inadequate footwear can cause major problems.

A walking guide qualification can be seen as your ‘drivers licence’. Without a drivers license, regardless of how expert you are on the fauna, flora, culture or history of an area if you crash the coach you will kill your clients. If you want to guide on foot, obtain the correct drivers licence first then enhance that with your specialist knowledge. Brilliant knowledge and stories will never make a badly led walking experience safe.

What a walking guide needs to know is learnt from many years in the outdoors and from targeted training – it cannot be learnt from a book in a few weeks. If you lead trips on foot in the outdoors, make sure you hold the correct qualifications — both for your safety and that of your clients.

Long term patient care on a walking trip

Glossary of Terms

AQN

ADVENTURE QUALIFICATIONS NETWORK is a company and a CATHSSETA  accredited training/assessment provider. We have been operating for 18 years. AQN is not in any way a national governing body, and does not control the adventure industry as is often mistakenly reported.

WILDWAYS NQ was established in 2001 in response to an emerging need for a provider body to handle the administration of NQ assessments for the Adventure Industry.

National Qualifications were being developed and many assessors trained, but no provision had been made to assist an industry, which in general hates paperwork. Also, policy that was being put in place did not understand or take any note of the particular needs or circumstances of the Adventure industry, and as such, the industry was incapable of accessing National Qualifications.

Wildways, with very limited recourses, decided to attempt to fill this gap. In 2004 Wildways converted all this work to the Adventure Qualifications Network cc and in 2014 converted to a PTY (Ltd) in 2017 as a stand-alone body.

AQN is a dynamic industry needs driven organisation that responds to the needs of its Affiliates, to meet the demands of an increasingly complex system and the needs of practitioners who need to hold formal qualifications.

AQN is willing and strives to work with other national organisations in order to share resources and make qualifications readily available in the country.

CATHSSETA

The Culture, Art, Tourism, Hospitality, and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority (CATHSSETA) is one of 21 SETAs established under the Skills Development Act (No 97 of 1998) in 2001.

CATHSSETA was formally known as the Tourism and Hospitality Education and Training Authority (THETA) until 1 April 2012, when we became the Culture, Art, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority.
Our mandate is to facilitate skills development within our sub-sectors through the disbursement of grants for learning programmes and monitoring of education and training as outlined in the National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS).

SAQA

Among other things, the SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY is the body responsible for registering qualifications onto the National Qualifications Framework

THETA

Now known as CATHSSETA

QCTO

The Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) is a Quality Council established in 2010 in terms of the Skills Development Act Nr. 97 of 1998. Its role is to oversee the design, implementation, assessment and certification of occupational qualifications, including trades, on the Occupational Qualifications Sub-Framework (OQSF).

The QCTO also offers guidance to skills development providers who must be accredited by the QCTO to offer occupational qualifications.

SITE GUIDE

They have attained the minimum qualification in order to guide in a “limited defined area”. Could be a place or activity i.e. A specific museum, A local attraction, Hiking in the Drakensberg, Paddling the Vaal, Rock Climbing.

PROVINCIAL GUIDE

Provincial Guides are qualified to take tourists around an entire Province and they will have been assessed theoretically and practically in that Province. i.e. Western Cape, KZN etc

NATIONAL GUIDE

National Tour Guides have been and are permitted to conduct tours all around South Africa, crossing all provincial boundaries. They will have knowledge of all nine Provinces.

It does get a little complicated as most Adventure Guides tend to operate Nationally although they are Site Guides, this is due to the site descriptor which is generic to the activity and not the geographical environment. eg. a Archery Guide can do archery anywhere. Some limitations do exist for some activities.

QUALIFICATION

Strictly speaking a ‘Qualification’ only applies to a program that consists of at least 120 credits and registered by SAQA.

SKILLS PROGRAM (Part Qualification)

A Skills Program is less than 120 credits and is resisted by a SETA (Sector Education Training Authority – CATHSSETA for example).

The GASG, Generic Adventure Site Guide program, is a skills program as it has between 46 and 60 credits.

DNT or NDT

The National Department of Tourism is mandated to create conditions for the sustainable growth and development of tourism in South Africa. The Tourism Act makes provision for the promotion of tourism to and in the Republic and for regulation and rationalisation of the tourism sector, including measures aimed at the enhancement and maintenance of the standards of facilities and services utilised by tourists; and the co-ordination and rationalisation of the activities of those who are active in the tourism sector.

The department is mandated to oversee the Registration of Tourist Guides in terms of the Tourism Act.

Provincial Registrars

Registrars under the DNT are the people in each province who register Guides.

DNT FAQ’s

Frequently asked questions.

How to be a Professional Guide in South Africa

Be Professional, Be proud

All Guides operating in South Africa have to be registered or they are unprofessional and liable for prosecution.

A Guide is…

Any person who, for monetary or other reward, accompanies people who are traveling through or visiting any place within a country, and who furnishes those people with information or comments concerning a place or objects visited is defined as Tourist Guide. Many tourist guides may also wish to run their own tour operations in which they are both tour guide and tour operator.

 

Categories of Guides

There are three categories of tourist guides:

Site Guides

They have attained the minimum qualification in order to guide in a “limited defined area”. Could be a place or activity i.e. A specific museum, A local attraction, Hiking in the Drakensberg, Paddling the Vaal, Rock Climbing.

Provincial Guides

Provincial Guides are qualified to take tourists around an entire Province and they will have been assessed theoretically and practically in that Province. i.e. Western Cape, KZN etc.
 

National Guides

National Tour Guides have been and are permitted to conduct tours all around South Africa, crossing all provincial boundaries. They will have knowledge of all nine Provinces.

It does get a little complicated as most Adventure Guides tend to operate Nationally although they are Site Guides, this is due to the site descriptor which is generic to the activity and not the geographical environment. eg. a Archery Guide can do archery anywhere. Some limitations do exist for some activities.

Types of Guiding

The above categories of Guides can then also be classified into three specialities:

Adventure

A guided adventure experience.

Rock climbing, Paddling, Diving, Bungee, Sand-boarding, Zip-lines, Hiking, Off Road 4×4 Adventures, Canyoning, Camping, Snorkeling etc

Nature

A guided nature experience.

These are Nature based guided tours. Game Reserves, National Parks, Nature conservation areas, Nature trails, Birding tours, Butterfly tours, Geology tours, Spoor tracking, etc…

Culture

A guided cultural experience.

These are Culture / History / Community based tours which could include: museums, community projects, wine farms, art tours, political tours, historical tours, etc.

Qualifications

 There are only two qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) presently:

  • National Certificate in Tourism: Guiding (NQF2)
  • National Certificate in Tourism: Guiding (NQF4)

Note that a new NQF 5 National Certificate specifically for the Adventure Industry is currently being developed. It is hoped this will become available in 2019.

Sometimes several unit standards, within the different areas of specialisation, have been clustered together to form SKILLS PROGRAMMES addressing areas of specialization, and aimed at persons wishing to only complete the specialized minimum area of learning required to guide.

These skills programmes are registered by CATHSSETA (the old Theta) for certification purposes. The applicable unit standards are registered on the NQF.  In order for you to register as a site guide specialising in culture, nature, or adventure guiding you need different combinations of unit standards, these rules of combination can be accessed on the CATHSSETA (Culture Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority) website, www.cathsseta.org.za

If you want to register as a regional on national guide you need, as a minimum qualification at NQF level 4 plus the required unit standard for your area of specialization – view these on the CATHSSETA website

Site Guides just need to hold a Skills program and in the Adventure industry this is the Generic Adventure Site Guide program. (GASG)

Guide Trainers and Assessors

All tourist guide trainers and assessors have to be accredited by CATHSSETA to be able to train according to the national recognised standards and qualifications framework.

Please note that assessors cannot issue certificates on their own as they have to be working for/with an accredited training provider who will then issue certificates from CATHSSETA, upon completion of the assessment. The duration of the course, course content, dates and time of training, fee structure is determined by each training provider.

The Mandatory Registration Process

According to the Tourism Act, any person who wishes to be registered as a tourist guide shall apply to their Provincial registrar.

PLEASE NOTE: CATHSSETA DOES NOT REGISTER TOURIST GUIDES. CATHSSETA GIVES ACCREDITATION TO TRAINING PROVIDERS SO THAT THEY CAN TRAIN GUIDES. Tourist Guides are registered by the Provincial Registrars of the National Department of Tourism.

The following documents must be provided when applying for registration: 

  1. Signed code of conduct
  2. 2 x ID sized photos
  3. Registration fee of R240
  4. Certified copies of the following:
  5. SA Identity document
  6. CATHSSETA Certificate of Competence (Competence Certificates are ONLY issued by CATHSSETA)
  7. Valid first Aid Certificate
  8. Drivers license and/ or PDP where applicable.

No person shall be registered as a tourist guide in terms of the Tourism Second Amendment Act, 2000 unless he/she-:

  1. Shows proof of competence; (SAQA registered qualification)
  2. Is within the Republic;
  3. Has no criminal record;
  4. Has permanent residence or work permit in the Republic;
  5. Has passed the prescribed quality assurance process that a tourist guide shall complete not later than two years after the date his/her last registration.

Upon registration, the tourist guide will receive a badge and an ID card. The ID card will indicate which province/region/area/site the tourist guide is allowed to operate in, his/her period of registration.

Renewal of Registration   

Any person registered as tourist guide, may before the end of period for which he/she is registered, apply to the Provincial Registrar for renewal of his or her registration and his/her registration shall, upon the payment of R240 be renewed.

International Guides

This all also applies to International Guides leading trips in South Africa. Guides MUST be compliant with the local laws. For example: a UIAGM Mountain Guide may NOT Guide in South Africa without having registered here and hold the local qualifications.

Thanx to Brendon Wainwright for the some of the pictures on this page.

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