By Andre Mentz – SAPA President
The concept of standards is well known to all of us. It is found in each and every domain in which we operate daily. We are accustomed to use systems that promote compliance and provide standards of good practice in modern society. In most cases, participants manage their own standards and participate in the research and development to amend future standards.
It is old school to allow government to be the lead agent and main role player. In fact, it should be the exact opposite! Industry needs to lead and capacitates government with adequate knowledge and support to implement regulations.
Self-regulation means to assume responsibility. If an individual chooses a certain value chain in the biodiversity economy, he/she will ensure deeper knowledge of that environment towards reducing risk. That individual will support membership of an umbrella organisation because it ensures a safety net of knowledge and resources that can be used when needed.
Government can easily fulfil its constitutional mandate by creating a simple administrative framework for participants to provide operational procedures that support legislation. Regular reporting and an adequate audit system will enable a much higher compliance ratio. Industry role players will detect problems and deal with them before they escalate into incidents that harm South Africa’s reputation.
Self-regulation is the future of a sound and healthy industry.
It is your constitutional right to earn a living and to participate in legal trade. Take part in this important initiative and join SAPA now!