South African Council for Planners (SACPLAN)

The South African Council for Planners (SACPLAN) is the statutory council that regulates the planning profession in South Africa. The Minister responsible for rural development and land reform appoints SACPLAN’s members under the Planning Profession Act 36 of 2002. SACPLAN is based at the International Business Gateway Office Park in Midrand.

Registered name

South African Council for Planners (SACPLAN)

Type

Statutory council (planning profession regulator)

Fields funded

Accredited town and regional planning programmes, undergraduate and postgraduate

Website

sacplan.org.za

Phone

011 318 0460

What planners do

Town and regional planners decide how land is used: where housing, businesses, roads, schools and parks should go, how cities grow, and how rural areas develop. Planners prepare spatial development frameworks, assess land use applications and help municipalities manage growth, so their work affects nearly every community.

How SACPLAN regulates the profession

SACPLAN registers planners and identifies planning work that only registered planners may undertake, which protects the public from unqualified practitioners. SACPLAN’s functions, powers and duties are set out in sections 7 and 8 of the Planning Profession Act, and SACPLAN also sets a code of conduct and publishes guideline professional fees in the Government Gazette.

SACPLAN accredits planning qualifications at universities using its guidelines for competencies and standards for curriculum development. North-West University’s planning programme, for example, grew from a Department of Town and Regional Planning established at Potchefstroom in 1965. SACPLAN recognises voluntary associations such as the South African Planning Institute and works with the Department of Cooperative Governance, currently engaging it on the requirements for municipal development and town planning managers.

The SACPLAN bursary

SACPLAN’s bursary aims to grow the number of planners. It funds undergraduate and postgraduate students on accredited planning programmes, covering at least tuition and possibly costs such as accommodation, and renews each year on progress until the qualification is complete. Applicants must be South African citizens who are academically competent and financially deserving, and must submit two recommendation letters and a motivation.

SACPLAN advertises mid-year for the following academic year. Its last published advert closed on 16 August 2024, and no 2027 advert had been confirmed when BursariesAfrica checked.

How to research SACPLAN

Check SACPLAN’s list of accredited planning qualifications before enrolling, because only accredited programmes lead to registration. Watch SACPLAN’s website from June and phone the council to ask about 2027. SACPLAN’s bursaries page also shares other opportunities, such as registration fee support offered by some municipalities.

See our town and regional planning bursaries list.