As a qualified Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) practitioner, safety officer, and compliance auditor, I find myself in an increasingly unfair and unsustainable situation. The South African Council for Project and Construction Management Professions (SACPCMP) mandates my registration and compliance, despite the fact that I am currently unemployed and actively seeking job opportunities. The hefty fees we are required to pay do not aid or advance our careers but instead place a significant financial burden on us. This situation is not only unjust but detrimental to practitioners like myself, as well as many other capable OHS experts.

Fees charged by SACPCMP are exorbitantly high, especially given the rising unemployment rate in South Africa. Many safety officers, particularly those who have completed SHEmtrac and other short courses, find themselves disadvantaged. These fees do not translate into any tangible benefits or protection for us as members. On the contrary, the board exhibits a glaring failure to protect and advocate for its members—those who are at the frontline ensuring safety compliance.

Who benefits from the amounts paid to the organization, what are your members benefiting, why must I qualify academically then suffer due to a system I know nothing off, why are we paying if you never do placements or recommend the so called qualified according to your act , why are paying then suffer fixed term contracts that under pays and ridicule the profession,  what justifies the given fees , what rule do you play in ensuring your member are never subjected to workplace injustices,  who authorized and mandated your board to terrorize the profession in general , who are we really paying , overall we need the south african government to intervene and end our suffering.

The inequities extend further as institutions that offer equivalent qualifications are being discriminately sidelined. An entry-level OHS practitioner often earns barely enough to support themselves, yet SACPCMP expects them to pay these annual fees without fail. What’s more disheartening is the council's silence, ignoring the voices of seasoned and skilled OHS professionals it is supposed to represent.

SACPCMP's mandate should be to support, recommend, and place its professionals in the workforce, yet it has chosen to remain passive, content only with financial compliance while neglecting its duty to genuinely assist its members. This dereliction of responsibility is crippling the industry and deterring passionate individuals from pursuing this vital profession in the long term.

We demand the shutting down of SACPCMP for exploiting their members and failing their core responsibilities. Let's put an end to these exploitative practices and create systems that truly support and elevate the working conditions of OHS professionals in South Africa. Let’s come together, share our stories, and demand accountability and reform from the SACPCMP.

Sign this petition if you believe in fair practice for OHS professionals and want to see a change in how SACPCMP operates.