Opponents have slammed a proposal by the Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa (AHPCSA) to classify somatology and sports massage therapy as regulated health professions, while others say it will benefit public safety and accountability.
Critics argue it overlooks industry realities, threatens small businesses, and may cause widespread job losses, but supporters say unqualified people within the industry are placing lives at risk, reports News24.
AHPCSA Registrar Esther Pillay-Naidoo said the decision resulted from requests from the four Universities of Technology (UOT) – Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Central University of Technology, Durban University of Technology and Tshwane University of Technology – to establish a professional register for somatologists under AHPCSA.
She said untrained people were performing these invasive procedures, placing the public at significant risk.
The South African Association of Health and Skincare Professionals (SAAHSP) strongly opposes the proposal.
Vice-president Mpho Nyelele said the proposed law represented the perspective of “only a few universities, not the wider beauty industry”.
Small businesses, salons and independent therapists who make up most of the sector were not consulted before this legislation was drafted. The law attempts to ‘regulate’ the industry without understanding how it operates.
Nyelele also said the Act “disregards existing systems and professional standards already upheld by industry bodies such as SAAHSP”.
“The SAAHSP, being a voluntary association, lacks legal authority to enforce professional standards or discipline practitioners,” Pillay-Naidoo said, adding that the new classification aimed to align university requests, acknowledge academic and clinical overlaps with health professions, and ensure professional accountability.
She said somatology qualifications are classified by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) under Health Science and Social Services, and graduates have already studied subjects like anatomy, pharmacology, pathology, and massage, all of which are aligned with health professions.
“Somatologists are currently performing a range of invasive and health-related procedures without statutory regulation,” she added. “Regulation will ensure professional recognition, ethical accountability, and public protection.”
On sports massage therapy, Pillay-Naidoo noted that unqualified practitioners have been operating without oversight.
“Numerous private training institutions are offering unaccredited and non-SAQA-approved courses in sports massage therapy. The absence of regulation allows unqualified people to provide treatment, posing risks to the public and undermining the integrity of the regulated health professions,” she said.
The Department of Health has opened a three-month comment period since the publication of the notice on 22 August.
Pillay-Naidoo said a review of somatology curriculum showed significant overlap with existing allied health professions and alignment with broader health sciences.
“Somatology has evolved beyond the beauty industry and is now firmly positioned within the healthcare sector,” she said, and the AHPCSA had consulted extensively with the SAAHSP, SAQA, somatologists in private practice, salon and product company owners, Solidarity, the four UOTs, and four private somatology training institutions.
“These were held both in-person and virtually to ensure comprehensive stakeholder engagement,” she said. The inclusion, she added, is aimed at protecting the public from unsafe and unregulated practices, particularly as some somatologists perform invasive procedures, like deep chemical peels, micro-needling, and lymphatic drainage, without statutory oversight.
However, some practitioners in the beauty and wellness sector warn that the plan could exclude thousands of qualified professionals, and that only a handful of people would benefit.
They believe prices will increase, and that job losses would result.
Abigail Bridgens, a consultant for training academies, described the reclassification as “deeply concerning”.
“Our industry is not medical, it’s professional, preventive, and wellness-focused. Imposing medical registration, licensing, and compliance fees will place unnecessary pressure on thousands of small businesses, most of them owned by women and youth.”
She said the sector already operates under accredited qualifications and professional regulation through SAAHSP.
“Instead of reclassification, the government should collaborate with existing professional bodies to strengthen the sector responsibly. If this law proceeds as it stands, it risks widespread job losses and the collapse of legitimate small enterprises.”
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