Registration, CPD and related statutory requirements
Registration
Registration is category-specific and time-limited. A practitioner must renew annually, pay the prescribed fee, and keep the register informed of address and practice changes. Letting registration lapse while continuing to practise is practising without registration. Interns must complete the prescribed supervised training and apply for the category for which they are eligible; they cannot 'upgrade' by title.
CPD
HPCSA requires 30 CPD points per 12-month cycle, at least 5 of which must be ethics-related. Activities must be accredited or verifiable, relevant to the practitioner's scope, and documented in a portfolio with evidence retained for audit. CPD is not a points-collection game: the purpose is maintained competence. Random audits occur; non-compliance can lead to conditions, a remediation plan, or referral to the board.
Related statutory duties
Practitioners must report unprofessional conduct, cooperate with inquiries, maintain professional indemnity cover where required, and comply with the Act and rules. Certificates of good standing are issued on request and depend on a clean, paid-up registration.
Worked example
A psychologist completes 28 points, including 8 ethics points, but no clinical content. On audit, the ethics surplus cannot cure the shortfall in general points; she must remedy the deficit through an approved plan. Reasoning: the rule is 30 points total with a 5-point ethics minimum, not 5 points that can substitute for the rest.
Traps
Assuming ethics points count twice; carrying points across cycles without approval; treating a conference attendance as automatically accredited; and believing CPD is optional once in private practice.