TO:        NATIONAL DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

                PROVINCIAL DEPARTMENTS OF HEALTH

                NURSING EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS (NEIS)

                ALL STAKEHOLDERS

SOUTH AFRICAN NURSING COUNCIL – YEAR-END CLOSURE

The offices of the South African Nursing Council will be closed for the year-end from Monday,                    23 December 2024 at 12:00 pm midday, and re-open on Friday, 03 January 2025 at 08:00 am. Kindly note that on 23 December 2024, for operational reasons the gates will be closed at 11: 00 am.

Annual fees must be paid into the Council’s bank account on or before 31 December 2024 to avoid restoration fees – note that banks take up to three (3) days to clear payments and thus all bank electronic transfers need to be made by 23 December 2024 to ensure it reaches the SANC by 31 December 2024.

The SANC banking details are:

Name of bank                         : First National Bank

Account number                    : 514 211 86 193

Branch code                           : 253145

Reference                               : Person’s own SANC Reference Number followed by ANLFEES

Whilst waiting for the Annual Practising Certificate to be distributed by the SANC, the employer can verify the registration status of the practitioner through the SANC website by logging into the SANC eRegister at https://www.sanc.co.za/eRegister.htm. To do this, they will require the practitioner’s SANC reference number or Identity Number (ID No).

We wish you all the best over the holiday season. Please stay safe and we look forward to working with you in 2025.

Kind regards,

________________________________                                                       

PROF. NG MTSHALI

REGISTRAR AND CEO

SOUTH AFRICAN NURSING COUNCIL

DATE: ___________________________

___________________________________

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TO:        NATIONAL DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

                PROVINCIAL DEPARTMENTS OF HEALTH

               NURSING SERVICE MANAGERS IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE HEALTH ESTABLISHMENTS

                NURSING AGENCIES

               ALL STAKEHOLDERS

SUBJECT: INTENTION TO DISCONTINUE THE PRACTICE OF PRINTING ANNUAL PRACTICING CERTIFICATES (APCs) AS PROOF OF NURSE PRACTITIONER’S REGISTRATION STATUS BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN NURSING COUNCIL

1. PURPOSE
   • The purpose of this circular is to communicate Council’s future intention to discontinue the practice of printing Annual Practicing Certificates as proof of nurses’ registration status.

2. BACKGROUND
   • The South African Nursing Council is a statutory body that is empowered by the Nursing Act, 2005 (Act No. 33 of 2005) to protect the public in matters involving health services in general and nursing services in particular.
   • Section 31(3) of the Act mandates employers not to employ or retain in employment a person to perform the functions pertaining to the profession of nursing, other than a person who holds the necessary qualifications and who is registered under subsection (1) or (2). Section 37 further states that the APC is proof that the Practitioner is registered according to the provisions of the Nursing Act.
   • Currently, after the nurses pay the renewal fee for the practicing license, the Council issues printed Annual Practicing Certificates and sends them to nurses via the Post Office.
   • Employers use the print-outs to confirm a nurse’s registration status with the SANC. Additionally, the prospective employers rely on these print-outs to verify the authenticity of a nurse’s registration before employing
   • Post Office challenges have negatively impacted on the Council ‘s ability to deliver these APCs by post, sometimes resulting in nurses not receiving them or not receiving them on time, sometimes affecting their prospects of securing employment opportunities. In addition, other statutory councils have been using electronic forms of verification successfully.

3. COUNCIL RESOLUTION
   • The Council deliberated on the matter at its ordinary meeting of the 13 July 2024 and resolved to notify the profession, employers and stakeholders of its intention to discontinue the practice of printing and issuing APCs as proof of nurses’ registration status in future.
   • Printing of APCs will not be stopped immediately, this Circular is communicating Council’s intention and alerting clients and stakeholders that Council will be moving towards a digital environment in future.
   • Employers and all stakeholders are urged to use the e-Register for verification instead of requesting nurses to produce printed/hard copies of their APCs.
   • The e-Register is up to date and provides reliable confirmation/verification of the nurse registration status.
   • The e-Register is easily accessible on the SANC website, sanc.co.za/eregister/ .

4. IMPLICATIONS

The contents of this circular must be brought to the attention of all nurses, employers and stakeholders.

5. IMPLEMENTATION

This circular shall be effective from the date of issue and any enquiries can be directed to

Dr J Muswede, Senior Manager: Professional Practice via email at [email protected] or by phone at 012 420 1008.

Yours sincerely

________________

PROF NG MTSHALI

REGISTRAR AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (CEO)

DATE: ___________________________________

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TO:        NATIONAL DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

                PROVINCIAL DEPARTMENTS OF HEALTH

                PRIVATE HEALTH PROVIDERS

               NURSE PRACTITIONERS

               ALL STAKEHOLDERS

SUBJECT: PROCEDURE FOR PAYMENTS MADE BY INDIVIDUAL NURSE PRACTITIONERS

1. 1. PURPOSE
      • The purpose of this communique is to outline the process which should be followed when making payments to the South African Nursing Council.
   2. BACKGROUND AND PROCEDURE
      • The South African Nursing Council uses its Reference Deposit Account for payment of Fees and Fines payable by its clients. The reference consists of two parts:
   • Your SANC membership number (8 digits) – which is used to identify the person who is making the payment.
   • A payment type code (7 CAPITAL LETTERS – refer to 2.2. in this Circular) written immediately after the SANC membership number – which is used to identify what is the payment for.
   • The example below is how a correct reference will thus look like when making annual fee payment to the SANC:

                                               12345678ANLFEES

   In the above example, ‘12345678‘ is the SANC membership number and ‘ANLFEES‘ is the payment type code.  The reference is always 15 characters long.

   PLEASE NOTE:  the above reference is only an example, and it must not be used  for making any payment.  Nurse Practitioners must use their own SANC reference number as the account number and use the appropriate payment type code.

   2.1.4 The reference mentioned above should be quoted under beneficiary/recipient/target reference when making payment (not under ‘my reference’).

   • Listed in the table below are all the payment type codes that are used by INDIVIDUALS when making payments to the South African Nursing Council:

   Section of the Regulations	Payment Type Code	To be used for paying for:
   7(1)(a)	ADGUILT	Admission of guilt fines
   2(1)(c)	ANLFEES	Annual Fees
   2(1)(g)	APPFEES	Application Fees (foreign applications)
   2(1)(k)	CETSFEE	Certificate of Status Fee
   2(1)(l)	DUPCFEE	Replacement Certificate Fee
   2(1)(m)	EXAMFEE	Examination Fees (foreign application exams)
   2(1)(n)	EXTRFEE	Extract Fees (extract from the register)
   2(1)(q)	LATEFEE	Late Entry Fees (foreign exam applicants)
   2(1)(s)	ADDQUAL	Registration Fees (additional qualifications)
   2(1)(t)	ASSESSR	Registration Fees (assessors, moderators, verifiers)
   2(1)(v)	REGFPRA	Registration Fees (practitioners)
   2(1)(x)	REMAFEE	Remarking Fees (exams)
   2(1)(y) 2(1)(z)	RESTFEE	Restoration Fees
   2(1)(aa)	TRANFEE	Transcript of Training Fees
   2(1)(b)	VERIFEE	Verification Fees
   	SALEDDS	Purchasing of Distinguishing Devices
   	PRINMAT	Purchasing of Printed Matter (Nursing Act, regulations, etc.)
   	POSTAGE	Postage
   	COURAPC	Courier Fee for delivery of Annual Practising Certificate
   	OTHRFEE	Other fees or payments (not mentioned above)

   3. SANC BANKING DETAILS

   The SANC bank account has been masked in most major banks which means it is now listed as a public beneficiary when making an electronic funds transfer (EFT).  The process is to choose the South African Nursing Council under the public beneficiaries list.

   COUNCIL BANK DETAILS

    

   Bank Name:           First National Bank

   Branch Name:        Corporate Core Banking – Pretoria

   Branch Code:         253145

   Account Name:      SA Nursing Council No 2 Account

   Account Number:  514 211 86 193

   4. IMPLICATION
      • The contents of this communique should be brought to the attention of all Nurse Practitioners in all health establishments.
   • Nursing Education Institutions should refer to Circular 15/2022 for their payment procedure.
   • For further information in respect of this communique, kindly contact Mr B Manganyi, Acting Manager: Revenue Collections and Sales at [email protected] or Tel: 012 420 1081.

Yours sincerely

________________

PROF NG MTSHALI

REGISTRAR AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (CEO)

DATE: ___________________________________

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TO:         NATIONAL DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

                PROVINCIAL DEPARTMENTS OF HEALTH

                NURSING SERVICE MANAGERS IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE HEALTH ESTABLISHMENTS

                NURSING AGENCIES

                ALL STAKEHOLDERS

SUBJECT: EMPLOYMENT OF NURSE PRACTITIONERS WHO ARE NOT REGISTERED WITH THE SOUTH AFRICAN NURSING COUNCIL

1. PURPOSE
   • The purpose of this circular is to inform the employers to refrain from employing nurse practitioners who are not registered with the SANC or whose names have been removed from the SANC Register in terms of Section 44 of the Nursing Act,2005 (Act No. 33 of 2005).

2. BACKGROUND
   • The South African Nursing Council is a statutory body that is empowered by the Nursing Act, 2005 (Act No. 33 of 2005) to protect the public in matters involving health services in general and nursing services in particular.
   • The Impairment Committee is established in terms of Section 15 of the Nursing Act, 2005 (Act No. 33 of 2005) and mandated to investigate all reported cases of alleged unfitness to practice against nurses who are registered in terms of the Act. This is to ensure that nurse practitioners who provide nursing services to healthcare users are competent and fit to practise nursing with reasonable skills and safety.
   • On analysis of reported cases, the Impairment Committee noted with concern perpetual non-compliance by employers, by employing nurses without current registration with the SANC or whose names were removed from the SANC Register in terms of Section 44 of the Nursing Act, 2005 (Act No. 33 of 2005).

3. DIRECTIVE
   • Employers must refrain from employing nurses without current registration with the SANC or whose names were removed from the Register in terms of Section 44 of the Nursing Act, 2005 (Act No. 33 of 2005).Verification of the nurse registration status can be done on the eRegister on SANC website, sanc.co.za.
   • Any person who contravenes the provisions above will be held personally liable in terms of Section 31(11) of the Act.
   • Employers are urged to familiarise themselves and comply with the above as well as general provisions of the Nursing Act, 2005(Act No. 33 of 2005) by visiting sanc.co.za.

4. IMPLICATIONS

The contents of this circular must be brought to the attention of all employers in health establishments and nurse practitioners.

5. IMPLEMENTATION

This circular shall become effective on the date of issue. Enquiries in this regard can be directed to Dr J Muswede, Senior Manager: Professional Practice at [email protected] or Tel: 012 420 1008.

Yours sincerely

________________

PROF NG MTSHALI

REGISTRAR AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (CEO)

DATE: ___________________________________

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TO:         NATIONAL DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

                PROVINCIAL DEPARTMENTS OF HEALTH

                NURSING EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

                ALL STAKEHOLDERS

SUBJECT: ANNUAL FEES for 2025

This Circular serves as confirmation of the South African Nursing Council’s fees and fines as stipulated in the Government Gazette published on 31 May 2024. 

1. ANNUAL FEES FOR 2025
   • NORMAL ANNUAL FEES

The annual fees for the calendar year 2025 for different categories of practitioners are provided in the table below:

• REDUCTIONS IN ANNUAL FEES FOR AGE 60 AND OVER

The Council has resolved to introduce reduced fees for nurses 60 years of age and over as per the table below:

• 60 TO 64 YEARS OF AGE ON 1 JANUARY 2025 (25% REDUCTION)

• 65 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER ON 01 JANUARY 2025 (50% REDUCTION)

NB: To qualify for the discount amounts, practitioners may be required to submit a certified copy of their identity document in order to confirm their age.

Notes:

• The annual fees for 2025 must be received by the SANC on or before 31 December 2024.
• The amounts in the tables above all include 15% VAT.
• The amounts are rounded to the nearest R10.00

2. RESTORATION FEES FOR 2024

The restoration fees for different categories applicable from 1 January 2025 are shown in the following table.

Notes:

The reduced restoration fee only applies to a practitioner:

• Who must have been removed from the register at his/her own request; or
• Who must be 60 years of age or older on 1 January 2025. However, this must be confirmed with the Council before paying the reduced amount.

3. VOLUNTARY REMOVAL

A Nurse Practitioner who no longer wishes to practise in South Africa or who is unemployed, may request, in writing, for a voluntary removal of his/her name from the register, by completing the form available from the SANC. If a voluntary removal is granted by the SANC, the nurse practitioner’s name will be removed accordingly on the 31^st of December of the year in which the application is received.             

Once removed, the nurse practitioner will no longer be required to pay annual fees while he/she is removed from the register.

If the nurse practitioner requires reinstatement onto the register, he/she will, in addition to paying the reduced restoration fee, be required to complete a Restoration Form which can be accessed from the SANC website, www.sanc.co.za. It must be noted that practising while not being registered is illegal.

4. CLOSING DATE FOR PAYMENT OF ANNUAL FEES

Please note that for the calendar year 2025, the closing date for the payment of annual fees is 31 December 2024. Payments must reach the SANC bank account on or before the closing date. You are, therefore, urged not to leave payment for the last minute to avoid problems associated with making payments at year end.

Remember: Bank transfers from non-FNB banks may take up to 3 working days and you are therefore advised to pay well in advance to meet the 31 December 2024 deadline.

5. DELIVERY OF ANNUAL PRACTISING CERTIFICATES

The Council has introduced the option to deliver annual practising certificate by courier to Nursing Practitioners who individually pay annual fees via the bank at their own cost.

The courier cost of delivery of an annual practising certificate is R70.00 (subject to increase due to price escalation by service providers) and Nurse Practitioners who opt for delivery by courier should pay the above cost together with their annual fees. This will be an indication that the Nurse has opted for delivery by courier.

6. OTHER FEES

Please note that other fees and fines payable by institutions will be applicable with effect from 01 January 2025.

7. PERSAL DEDUCTIONS

The signing of Resolution 3 of 2019 in September 2019 by the National Department of Health together with major trade unions in Public Health and Social Development Sectoral Bargaining Council (PHSDSBC), brought into effect the implementation of PERSAL deductions from the 2020 APC season for all employees falling under the scope of the PHSDSBC.

As a result of this agreement, affected Nurse Practitioners are urged not to pay the annual fees on their own as the employers are required to pay on their behalf in terms of Resolution 3 of 2019.  

8. eREGISTER

The SANC has made an eRegister facility available on the SANC website which can be utilised by employers to verify the registration status of all Nurse Practitioners in their employment. Employers are urged to utilise this facility in the absence of a physical Annual Practising Certificate (APC).

Visit: https://www.sanc.co.za/eRegister.aspx for more details.

9. COMMUNITY SERVICE PRACTITIONERS

Community Service Practitioners are not eligible to be issued with an APC, and therefore, should NOT pay annual fees. They MUST pay a conversion fee on completion of their Community Service in order to be registered as Nurse Practitioners using the REGFPRA registration fee code instead of ANLFEES (e.g. 12345678REGFPRA).

Yours sincerely

________________

PROF NG MTSHALI

REGISTRAR AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (CEO)

DATE: ___________________________________

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TO:         NATIONAL DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

                PROVINCIAL DEPARTMENTS OF HEALTH

             NURSING PRACTICES/SERVICES

                NURSING EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

                ALL STAKEHOLDERS

SUBJECT: NOTIFICATION OF A PHASED-IN IMPLEMENTATION OF CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CPD) FOR NURSES AND MIDWIVES BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN NURSING COUNCIL (SANC) 

1. PURPOSE

The purpose of this Circular is to notify the National Department of Health (NDoH), Provincial Departments of Health, Nursing Practices/Services, Nursing Education Institutions, and all Stakeholders regarding the phased-in implementation of CPD for nurses and midwives by the SANC.

2. BACKGROUND

The SANC is a statutory body operating in terms of the Nursing Act, 2005 (Act No. 33 of 2005) to set and maintain the standards of nursing education and practice in the Republic of South Africa. Section 39(a)(b) of the Nursing Act, 2005 (Act No. 33 of 2005) mandates the SANC to determine conditions, nature, and extent of CPD to be undergone by practitioners.

In line with the mandate above, the SANC developed systems and processes for CPD implementation. The Council further conducted CPD pilot roll-out in all provinces in the last two years. The purpose of the pilot roll-out was to test the processes developed and determine their applicability in practice.

3. APPROACH TO CPD IMPLEMENTATION

• The SANC’s 17^th Council has, in its Annual Performance Plan 2024/2025, prioritised a phased-in approach to CPD implementation.

• In the first year of implementation, CPD will be implemented in all nine provinces in three hospitals per province i.e. Tertiary Hospital, Provincial/Regional Hospital and District Hospital. Provinces will, through Nursing Services Directorates, identify and submit names of the three hospitals.

• Furthermore, CPD will be implemented in Private Hospital Groups namely, Mediclinic, Life Healthcare, Netcare, National Hospital Network and Clinix Group, in one hospital from each of these hospital groups across all the provinces, or in provinces where they have such hospitals.

• Operational Managers (on permanent posts as well as those in acting capacity) in suggested hospitals will be used as a sample. They will be required to have accrued 15 CPD points at the end of the CPD Cycle. The cycle starts from June 2024 and end in July 2025 the following year. In the first year of implementation, CPD will not be a pre-requisite for or attached to Annual Practising Certificate (APC) renewal.

• With regards to the evaluation of CPD programs: The SANC will use  the approach that was used  during the CPD pilot roll-out phase with regards to Criteria and Process for Recognition of  Service Providers,  e. use of non-accredited organizations or Institutions, as outlined in the SANC’s Criteria for Recognition of CPD Providers, which means that respective provinces/private hospital groups  will  apply to the SANC for evaluation of the programs to be offered (details on this will  be communicated further during preparatory meetings).

• PLEASE NOTE that Council has not yet commenced with the process of inviting applications for interested parties who wish to be accredited as CPD providers. Communication will be issued in future when the Council is ready to undertake this process.

4. IMPLICATIONS

This Circular must be brought to the attention of all nurse practitioners and relevant stakeholders.

5. IMPLEMENTATION

This Circular shall become effective on the date of issue. For further clarity that might be required, kindly contact Dr NJ Muswede, Senior Manager: Professional Practice on e-mail:[email protected] or Tel: 012 420-1008.

Yours sincerely

________________

PROF NG MTSHALI

REGISTRAR AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (CEO)

DATE: ___________________________________

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TO:         NATIONAL DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

                PROVINCIAL DEPARTMENTS OF HEALTH

                NURSING EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

                ALL STAKEHOLDERS

SOUTH AFRICAN NURSING COUNCIL – EASTER HOLIDAYS CLOSURE

Please be informed that the South African Nursing Council (SANC) offices will be closed from 12h00 on Thursday 28 March 2024 and will reopen at 8h00 on Tuesday 02 April 2024.

We would appreciate it if you could inform all persons in your institutions accordingly.

Please note that the doors will close by 11h00 on Thursday 28 March 2024 to ensure we assist clients who are already in the building by closing time.

We wish you safe travels over the Easter Weekend.

Yours sincerely

________________

PROF NG MTSHALI

REGISTRAR AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (CEO)

DATE: ___________________________________

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TO:         NATIONAL DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

                PROVINCIAL DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

                NURSING EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

                ALL STAKEHOLDERS

SUBJECT: OFFERING OF A PROGRAMME IN BACHELOR OF HEALTH SCIENCES IN THE FIELD OF NURSING SYSTEMS SCIENCE

1. PURPOSE

• The purpose of this Circular is to alert the National Department of Health, Provincial Departments of Health, Nursing Education Institutions (NEIs) and all Stakeholders about offering of a programme in Bachelor of Health Sciences in the field of Nursing Systems Science by one of the universities in the Gauteng province. This programme is meant for practicing nurses whereas the programme is not accredited by the SANC nor yield professional registration by the South African Nursing Council (SANC).

2. BACKGROUND

• The South African Nursing Council (SANC) is a statutory body which functions in terms of the Nursing Act, 2005 (Act No. 33 of 2005). It has a responsibility to establish, improve, monitor and control the conditions, standards and quality of Nursing Education and Training within the ambit of the Nursing Act and any other applicable laws. It is the mandate of Council as stipulated in the Nursing Act, 2005 (Act No. 33 0f 2005) Section 4(2)(f) to: Accredit Nursing Education Institutions and nursing education programmes and monitor all assessments by education and training providers in accordance with the Act or any other law. The scope of this mandate covers university-based nursing departments, public and private colleges.

• The SANC has noted that there is a published programme namely “Bachelor of Health Sciences in the field of Nursing Systems Sciences” which is offered by one of the Universities in Gauteng Province since 2023. It is indicated that the programme is a fully online qualification pegged at NQF level 7 specifically designed for practicing nurses who want to grow their academic qualification and obtain a degree that is the pathway to further academic achievement and specialisation. The programme is, however, not accredited by the SANC but by the Council on Higher Education (CHE).

• Although the programme is meant for practising nurses, it doesn’t have the clinical/practical component.

• The practicing nurses are alerted about the following:

• It is an individual choice for nurses to pursue this programme but based on full understanding of what the programme entails.

• Completion of the programme does not yield professional registration with the SANC (i.e. Nurses will not be registered with the SANC and receive a certificate).

• Although the programme is pegged at NQF level 7, successful completion of the programme will not automatically enable the nurses to access the Postgraduate Diploma programmes. In terms of how nursing qualifications are pegged on the Higher Education qualifications sub-framework, an Advanced Diploma in Midwifery qualification is a pre-requisite to access Postgraduate Diploma programmes and unfortunately the above-mentioned programme does not cover the requirements of a midwifery qualification.

3. COUNCIL RESOLUTION 

• The Council in its ordinary meeting held on 25-26 January 2024 resolved that a circular must be issued to alert the nurses about the programme and its implications (i.e. nurses must not anticipate that they will be registered with the SANC after completing this “Bachelor of Health Sciences in the field of Nursing systems Sciences).

For any clarity-seeking questions in respect of this circular, you are advised to contact Ms SJ Nxumalo; Deputy Registrar at (012) 420 1059, or email address [email protected].

_________________________                 

PROF NG MTSHALI

REGISTRAR & CEO

SOUTH AFRICAN NURSING COUNCIL

DATE: ______________________

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