JOHANNESBURG - The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) is tightening controls on previously unregulated products entering the country.
Through its pre-export verification programme, the SABS will now include electrical appliances, toys, bicycles, and furniture.
In the first phase of the programme, the majority of items inspected will originate from China.
However, the SABS says it is not specifically targeting Chinese exports.
"Informed by legitimate objectives, we are starting with China," says the SABS's Katima Temba.
Temba explains that China is the largest source of imported goods into South Africa.
He adds that the country already has several regulators in place, and the SABS will focus on products that may not necessarily fall under the scope of other regulators.
The programme will be expanded to include products from other countries as it progresses.