Important information about light bulbs banned in South Africa

South African retailers with old stock of light bulbs that don’t meet the compulsory specifications enforced by the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition, have until November 2025 to sell these units.

Trade and industry minister Ebrahim Patel published South Africa’s new light bulb regulations in May 2024, which came into effect on 24 May 2025.

The new regulations aim to enhance safety, performance, and energy efficiency, and effectively ban the use of incandescent and compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) bulbs in households.

It’s important to note that the specifications don’t explicitly name the bulb types.

However, they set a minimum luminous efficiency of 90 lumens per watt (lm/W), which incandescents and CFLs struggle to meet.

An analysis by MyBroadband revealed that typical incandescent bulbs sold in South Africa achieve figures between 4lm/W and 12lm/W, while CFL bulbs manage 47lm/W to 70lm/W.

We recently spotted several incandescent and CFL bulbs with luminous efficiencies below the minimum listed on popular South African retailers’ online marketplaces.

The Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition told MyBroadband that the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) has extended the sales permit for these bulbs until late 2025.

“The regulator has been informed by some industry members that they still have old stock that needs to be depleted,” the department said.

“In response, and to mitigate potential losses, the NRCS has decided to extend the sales permit until November 2025 for clients who still have remaining stock.”

However, it specified that the extension only applies to stock obtained before the new regulations were implemented. It also emphasised that it isn’t a blanket sales permit.

“It is the responsibility of the manufacturer or importer to notify the NRCS of the remaining stock and formally request an extension,” the department said.

“Applicants must indicate the remaining stock levels and provide proof that the products were either manufactured or imported before the compulsory specifications came into effect.”

Household cost savings

According to Savvy Saver managing director Grant Pattison, banning bulbs with luminous efficiency lower than 90lm/W is a good and “obvious step”.

He described the new regulations as “uncontroversial” and said households transitioning from incandescent and CFL bulbs to LEDs will immediately experience savings.

“If you’re installing a PV system and a UPS in your house, it will also reduce the size requirements of the system you have to put in,” Pattison said.

He added that it will simplify shoppers’ choices when buying light bulbs, as there will effectively only be “one version of everything.”

“If you go down the aisles of DIY retailers or lighting retailers, the light bulb aisle is huge. You’ve got the option of incandescents, all with the same fittings that you find in the CFL sections,” said Pattison.

“And then you’ve got an enormous range of options in LEDs. So that category has grown in facings, stock holdings, and in complexity.”

He added that while retailers could initially see negative impacts, the move will ultimately benefit them.

Moreover, the regulations help reduce harmful waste in the country. Incandescent bulbs have no notable risks relating to their disposal.

However, CFL bulbs contain mercury, which can be hazardous when thrown away. In comparison, Pattison said LEDs are relatively simple.

“They’re like little chips. There are so many devices with small chips around that it won’t make any big difference,” he said.

Regarding efficiency, Pattison previously said incandescent bulbs are roughly ten times more power-hungry than LEDs, while CFLs consume approximately twice the power of LEDs.