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New South African plug facilities. Source: SABS
- SABS has urged South Africans to reduce their use of power adapters and switch to new plugs.
- The new plugs can accommodate multiple plugs, including a relatively new three-pin flat plug.
- Adapters, especially adapters used with adapters, increase the risk of fire and short circuit, the SABS warns.
- For more articles, go to Businessinsider.co.za.
Amid concerns about the increasing use of power adapters, and adapters connected to adapters, the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) has urged South Africans to adopt a new range of plugs and sockets.
While 21 different types of plugs have been introduced in South Africa in recent years, most buildings still contain the old large three-prong plugs.
South Africa adopted these plugs, known as SANS164-1, from the British in the 1950s:
The old three prong plug that South Africa has been using for decades.
The plugs for these sockets cannot accommodate cell phone chargers and other two-prong plugs. This means that South Africans are using more adapters, increasing the risk of fires, short circuits, and damage or malfunction of appliances, says SABS.
In 2018, SABS introduced the new SANS 164-2 plug that has three pins including a ground pin to protect users from electric shock.
The SANS 164-2 plug
The new plug can handle appliances with the same wattage as the old three-pin plug. But because the new plug is so much smaller, your plug can accommodate more plugs in the same space. It also works with so-called “Europlugs”, two-point plugs used throughout Europe.
This should slow down the use of power adapters.
READ | Everything you need to know about South Africa’s new mandatory electrical plug
By law, all new buildings must be equipped with SANS 164-2 plugs. These plugs can also include the old three-prong plugs, but must also include the new SANS 164-2 plugs and have switches.
While the installation of traditional plugs in existing buildings is not illegal, SABS urges South Africans to adopt new plugs, which incorporate all kinds of plugs, and are now available.
The new plugs have switches for all plug types, including USB ports:
A socket that houses the new SANS 164-2 socket, the old three-pin socket, and USB ports, along with switches for each. Source: SABS
One plug for the new SANS 164-2 plug, the old three-pin plug and for a two-pin round plug. Source: SABS
One socket that houses two new SANS 164-2 plugs, USB ports, and a three-pin plug. SABS font
“Every new building should have this new type of SANS 164-2 plugs and all appliances should be equipped with the new plugs,” says Gianfranco Campetti, chairman of the technical committee responsible for the development of the SANS 164 series of standards.
“South Africa has lagged behind with the implementation of these global changes and the continued use of adapters in adapters will only lead to more dangerous electricity use and malfunction of household appliances.
Recently, a new mandatory symbol was introduced that must be engraved on all adapters.
The symbol warns users that adapters cannot connect to each other:
The new mandatory warning about adapters. Source: SABS
This is due to a safety risk to the consumer, as stress from the outlet can cause a short between the neutral and hot pins, SABS said.
READ | All electrical plug adapters should now come with a new symbol – what you need to know
All plugs and sockets are regulated products in South Africa, and the National Regulator of Mandatory Specifications (NRCS), which regulates these products, has established SABS standards.
South Africa must accommodate many different types of plugs from importers, because the local market is too small to insist on a standard, says Campetti.
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