CATEGORIES
- (4) Negotiating Tax Debt and Payment Arrangements with SARS
- (2)Account / Profile
- (552)Accounting
- (2)Accounting and Finance
- (29)Audit
- (159)Auditing and Assurance
- (1)Business
- (1)Business Management
- (3)Business Rescue
- (104)CIPC
- (7)Compliance
- (18)Ethics and Professionalism
- (46)Financial Reporting
- (1)Government Funding Applications
- (4)Guides
- (1)Individuals Tax
- (29)Law
- (37)Legal and Compliance
- (2)Management
- (21)Miscellaneous
- (29)Money Laundering
- (1)Personal & Professional Development
- (2)Practice Management
- (2)Professional Ethics
- (3)Public Sector
- (145)Regulatory Compliance and Legislation
- (41)SARS Issues
- (29)Sustainability Reporting
- (42)Tax
- (1)Tax Update
- (9)Technology
- (1)Wills, Estates & Trusts
- Show All
CIPC: Customer Enquiry Management System (CEMS)
- 26 March 2026
- CIPC
- South African Accounting Academy
Summary:
The Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) has informed customers that the Customer Enquiry Management System (CEMS) has been introduced and has been successfully operational for several weeks.
Article:
Several CIPC customers have already begun using this enquiry tool, and all customers are encouraged to do the same.
The purpose of CEMS it to provide a central repository for all enquiries logged within CIPC.
Benefits of CEMS:
- Centralized and streamlined enquiry management
- Faster response times
- Improved tracking and follow-up of queries
- Enhanced customer support experience
IMPORTANT: From 1 April 2026, all enquiries must be logged via the CEMS. The dedicated query email addresses will be discontinued as of 1 April 2026. Enquiries received on or before 31 March 2026 will still be addressed. However, all follow-up correspondence related to those enquiries must be directed through CEMS.
The system can be accessed via:
- the CIPC website (www.cipc.co.za), (scroll to the bottom of the home page, there is “NEED HELP?”, under that select “Log a Query”)
- Bizportal (https://www.bizportal.gov.za/), select “Contact Us”, select “Enquiries”
- directly via https://enquiries.cipc.co.za/
All enquiries or requests related to Paper Based Disclosure and/or E-Disclosure must now be submitted through CEMS.
Please note that password resets are not managed through CEMS. The existing password reset process remains unchanged.
Click here to download the document:
https://www.cipc.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Notice-17-CEMS-March-2026.pdf
Relevance to Auditors, Independent Reviewers & Accountants:
- The Companies Act is yet another piece of legislation that your clients must comply with, and which you must assess compliance with. If they don’t comply with the relevant laws and regulations, you have certain reporting obligations in terms of NOCLAR (NOn-Compliance with Laws And Regulations) – this could include reporting to management, qualifying your audit opinion, reporting a Reportable Irregularity, etc.
- As an auditor, independent reviewer and accountant, you also need to monitor your client’s compliance with the Companies Act and all relevant notices/enforcements/practice notes/customer letters issued by CIPC as the regulator.
- Where you perform these compliance tasks on behalf of your client, you need to ensure that you comply with all relevant notices/enforcements/practice notes/customer letters issued by CIPC as the regulator.
- As an auditor, independent reviewer and accountant you need to consider the impact of the Companies Act Regulations on your service offerings, as well as new enquiry management systems.
Relevance to Your clients:
- An entity (company or close corporation) has a duty to comply with the Companies Act, and all relevant notices/enforcements/practice notes/customer letters issued by CIPC as the regulator.