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CONSTITUTION

This constitution supersedes any previous constitution and shall be subject to such amendments as may be made from time to time

  1. Name:
  • Register of Exercise Professionals of South Africa shall be hereinafter referred to as REPSSA
  1. Objects and Purpose:
  • REPSSA is an independent, non-profit, public register recognised by International Bodies ensuring constant upskilling of its members
  • Registered Professional Body (RPB) – REPSSA is the registered Professional Body of the Fitness Industry
  • The Registered Professional Body recognises the qualifications and expertise of Exercise
  • Professionals in South Africa. One of the key functions is to provide a system of regulation for the industry and Exercise Professionals to ensure that they meet the International health and Fitness industry’s standards
  1. The Purpose of REPSSA shall be:
  • To act as the Registered Professional Body, that recognises qualifications and expertise of the Exercise Professionals in South Africa
  • To provides a system of regulation that ensures the Exercise Professionals meet the health and Fitness industry standards and international health standards, which set an international benchmark
  • To provide assurance and confidence to consumers that Exercise Professionals are appropriately qualified
  • To ensure that its members are bound by a Code of Ethical Practice and must hold appropriate insurance. Shall from time to time determine. (See Code of Conduct)
  1. Registered:
  • The registered office of REPSSA shall be situated at 25 Braeside Street, Greenside or such other place or places as REPSSA shall from time to time determine
  1. Interpretation:
  • In this document, except in so far as the context or subject matter otherwise indicates or requires:
  • Act: National Sport and Recreation Act No. 110 of 1998 as amended
  • Assets: All assets of REPSSA including any intellectual property right and material.
  • Auditor: Shall mean the person/company appointed by the Board
  • Board: Shall mean the Board of REPSSA consisting of industry experts, relevant Stakeholders and current practitioners that are in good standing. Board Members are agreed and appointed by the REPSSA board in Board meetings
  • Members: Shall mean the members of REPSSA who are qualified to be a member
  • Profits: Includes revenue and capital profits
  • Register: The Register of members
  • Words in the singular number shall include the plural and words in the plural number shall include the singular, words importing the masculine gender shall include females, and words importing persons shall include bodies’ corporate
  1. Juristic Person:
  • REPSSA by this constitution and by its objectives and activities shall be a separate legal “persona” with perpetual succession and with the capacity to acquire rights and incur obligations
  • The assets shall vest in REPSSA, which shall hold such assets for itself as distinct from its individual members
  • REPSSA may sue or be sued in its name and the right of decision to sue or to defend shall vest with REPSSA
  1. Non-Profit Distributing Character:
  • The income and property of REPSSA shall be used solely for the promotion of its stated objectives. The members and the office-bearers shall have no rights to the property or other assets of REPSSA solely by virtue of them being members or office bearers. No portion of the income or property of REPSSA shall be paid or distributed directly or indirectly to any person (otherwise than in the ordinary course of undertaking any public benefit activity) or to any member of REPSSA, except as:
  • Reasonable compensation for services actually rendered to REPSSA;
  • Reimbursement of actual costs or expenses reasonably incurred on behalf of REPSSA;
  • Upon the dissolution of REPSSA, after all debts and commitments have been paid, any remaining assets shall not be paid to or distributed amongst the members, but shall be transferred by donation to some other no-profit organization which Board (and failing which any division of the High Court) considers appropriate and which has objectives the same or similar to the objectives of REPSSA
  1. Members:
  • Membership is open to all Exercise Professionals
  • Registration levels are:
  • Group Exercise Instructor: An Exercise Professional practitioner responsible for leading a planned exercise class with or without music
  • Fitness Instructor: An Exercise Professional practitioner responsible for orientating members into an exercise setting; able to induct members and supervise members exercise sessions from a pre‐designed exercise programme
  • Pilates Instructor: An Exercise professional practitioner qualified to instruct Pilate’s mat‐based and/or Pilate’s equipment‐based exercise sessions to apparently‐healthy populations
  • Personal Trainer: An Exercise Professional practitioner qualified to provide advice and a range of exercise training programmes to apparently‐healthy populations

Professional scope of practice includes: pre‐participation risk screening, assessment and sub‐ maximal fitness testing, evaluation of clients’ needs and goals, exercise programme design and instructing safe and effective exercise sessions

  • Exercise Specialist:
    An Exercise Professional practitioner qualified to provide advice and a range of exercise training to apparently‐healthy populations including special populations defined as pregnant clients, children and youth and/or older adults that have been cleared for exercise

Professional scope of practice includes: pre‐participation risk screening, assessment and fitness testing, evaluation of clients’ needs and goals, exercise programme design and instructing safe and effective exercise sessions

  • Sports Coordination Coach:
    An Exercise Professional practitioner qualified to provide advice and a range of exercise training to apparently‐healthy populations who require programmes for athletic conditioning

Professional scope of practice includes: pre‐participation risk screening, assessment and fitness testing, evaluation of clients’ needs and goals, exercise programme design and instructing safe and effective exercise sessions

  • Sport Science Conditioning Specialist:
    An Exercise Professional practitioner qualified in the context of sport performance and athletic conditioning that is able to provide advice, evaluation, assessment and testing for a range of conditioning programmes to apparently-healthy populations. To develop and manage high performance and long-term Talent development programmes for athletes of all levels
  1. All REPSSA registered Members:
    • hold accredited qualifications
    • are assessed by qualified assessors
    • are committed to their ongoing professional development
    • are legally covered by appropriate insurance
    • hold current First Aid certification
    • commit to meeting the recognized REPSSA standards
    • REPSSA Exercise Professionals are committed to maintaining and developing their knowledge and skills through Continuous Professional Development
  1. Membership
    • Membership of REPSSA provides assurance and confidence to consumers, employers and Exercise Professionals that all registered exercise professionals are appropriately qualified and have the knowledge, competence and skills to perform specific roles
    • Members are acknowledged for their professionalism, their adherence to the industry’s standards and their ongoing education
    • Members are bound by the code of conduct and hold appropriate insurance & First Aid. In order to remain on the Register, members must continue to meet the standards that are set for their profession through Continual Professional Development (CPD)

Membership status:

  • ‘Conditional’
    Conditional means the Exercise Professional is eligible to register but there may be the following issues with the qualification:
  • It may be old
  • It may not have been completed in this country
  • It might not be accredited
  • It may not have been mapped to a REPSSA designation
  • ‘Provisional’

This means you have registered and received your membership number to complete your insurance, employment, etc. However, REPSSA have not received certain documents and have not been able to complete your application

  • “Full’

This means you meet the International REPSSA standard and have all your current documents up to date

Membership Terms and Conditions:

    • REPSSA registered Exercise Professionals are issued with an annual Certificate of Registration detailing their professional designation and must also have adequate insurance cover and First Aid certification
    • Application for membership will be made by application to REPSSA
    • Members must meet the standing requirements at the time of admission and continuously thereafter. Members whose circumstances change must declare the change to the Board who will then determine continued eligibility:
      • Full
      • Provisional
      • Conditional
    • The Office manager or company secretary shall keep a register of members which shall contain the names, the postal and email addresses and telephone numbers of all members and the dates upon which they became members
    • If a member’s contact details change, that member shall give the new postal or email address or telephone number to the administrator
    • Members shall have reasonable access to the register

Annual Subscription:

    • Membership fees are paid annually. REPSSA shall determine the annual subscription to be paid by member
    • Members in default shall not be eligible to hold any office of REPSSA nor shall the member be issued with an annual certificate of registration
    • All membership subscriptions shall become due on the anniversary date. Failure to renew subscription within 90 (ninety) days from due date shall terminate membership

Disciplinary Measures:

    • In the event that the Board shall find that a person registered shall be guilty of a breach of Code of conduct, the Board of REPSSA may take disciplinary action
    • Any alleged professional misconduct or avoidance of compliance with the terms of membership of the Register will be referred to the Board which will consider any need for sanctions against an individual member. The appropriate authority (ies) will deal with any criminal allegations
    • In terms of any disciplinary action taken REPSSA may after due inquiry:
      • Suspend or terminate the membership of any member;
      • Reprimand or issue a formal warning; or
      • Take such other action as REPSSA consider an appropriate and proportionate to the issues raised
      • In the event that any party to an alleged misconduct is dissatisfied with a decision of the Board he or she may lodge an appeal in writing against this decision to the Chairman of REPSSA

Annual General Meetings:

    • The Annual General Meeting shall be held once a year in June/July. Subsequent working group shall be held 1-2 times a year. The Board shall determine when and where REPSSA shall meet within those dates
    • Notices of Annual General Meetings shall be decided at each meeting least 21 days prior to such meeting
    • Failure for any reason of any Member to receive or read such notice shall not invalidate the meeting or its proceedings
    • The notice shall set out:
      • Date, time and venue for the Annual General Meeting and;
      • Agenda
    • The business of an Annual General meeting shall be: –
    • To receive and confirm any minutes of the previously Annual General meeting
    • To receive the Chairman’s report on the business of REPSSA
    • Any other motions to which notice has been given

Other General Meetings:

    • Other General Meetings of REPSSA shall be convened at any time by the Chairman or at the written request of:
      • The Board or;
      • The members of the Association

Notice of General Meetings:

    • Any General Meeting other than the Annual General Meeting shall be convened on not less than fourteen days’ written notice to all members
    • The notice shall state the date, time and place of the meeting
    • Provided that should the Chairman, having been requested to give such notice, fail to give it within seven days of the request, the persons requesting the meeting shall be entitled themselves to give notice of and to convene the meeting

Quorum:

    • A quorum constituting an Annual General Meeting shall be 50 % of the Board members
    • A quorum constituting a Working Meeting shall be no less than 3 members
    • Should any Meeting have been properly convened but no quorum be present, the meeting shall stand adjourned to another date, which shall be within seven days thereafter. The notice reflecting such adjournment shall be given to the persons and in the manner provided for in this constitution. At such reconvened Meeting, the members then present or represented shall be deemed to constitute a quorum

Resolution and Voting:

    • At all General Meetings, a resolution put to the vote shall be decided by means of a show of hands or by ballot. A vote by ballot shall be held only if demanded by the Chairman
    • Each member present or represented at such meeting shall be entitled to one vote
    • Questions arising shall be decided by a majority of votes. Should there be an equality of votes the Chairman shall have a casting or second vote

Minutes:

Appropriate minutes shall be kept of the proceedings of all annual and General Meetings and a record of the persons present at each meeting. The minutes shall be signed by the Chairman of the meeting and shall be available for inspection or copying by any member on two days’ notice to the secretary

  • Electronic Participation:

REPSSA may conduct a meeting entirely by electronic communication

Office Bearers:

The office bearers shall be:

  • Chairman
  • Directors
  • Employees
  • Voluntary board members

Financial Year End:

    • The financial year end of the organisation shall be last day February each year
    • A statement of comprehensive income will be performed annually for each financial year

Alteration of Constitution:

    • This constitution may be altered, added to, rescinded, repealed or otherwise varied or amended by a resolution passed by two-thirds majority of those present at the Annual General Meeting or at a Special General Meeting called for that purpose
    • Notice of such proposed variation may be given via email

Board:

    • REPSSA is operated by a board of governance
    • The function of the Board is to ensure strategic decisions are made, standards adhered to and to ensure that all the members have a voice

Board Members:

    • The Board is to be called the Board of REPSSA and is subject to this Constitution and any rules passed by the members of REPSSA
    • Any member can be elected as a Board Member provided, he or she is not disqualified in terms of the Companies Act
    • The Board will endeavour to be demographically representative
    • The board shall consist of:
      • Representatives of the major employers (2 minimum)
      • Practitioners (2 minimum)
      • A sector representative from one of the official governing bodies
      • Representatives from the education providers (2 minimum; 1 public/1private)
      • A representative from other industry bodies
  • Additional members may be co-opted for specific purposes or if deemed necessary by the presiding Board
  • Board members agree and will adhere to the Terms of Reference