About the KSA

What is the KSA?

Estabilised in 1989 by members of the kitchen industry, the Kitchen Specialists Association is a non-profit company managed by regional committees in Gauteng, Kwa-Zulu Natal and Western Cape and overseen by a national committee.

The KSA has three main stakeholders – the kitchen industry (this applies to kitchen companies, suppliers to the industry and stone and surface fabricators), the consumer and the industry professional. We aim to uplift the industry through training, networking and accountability, while supporting both consumer and industry professional and making sure they have a source of objective information about the industry and a new kitchen that empowers them while they are dealing with a KSA member.

About KSA membership

Who are our members?

The KSA offers three types of membership:

Kitchen members (companies that manufacturer, design and/or installers kitchens) – we also have a registered kitchen designer program to verify the credentials of designers working within the kitchen industry.
Supplier members (companies that supply materials, equipment and services to the kitchen industry). Supplier members support the kitchen industry by supplying a wide range of goods and services to them.
Stone and surface fabricator members (companies that fabricate work and stone surfacing). We also offer a country membership for those kitchen companies more than one hundred kilometers outside of a regional KSA office, which facilitates a limited access to resources due to the distance from our offices, and international membership for kitchen companies operating outside of South Africa but within Africa.

All members must:

Agree to abide by the KSA’s code of ethics and conduct and agree to abide by any ruling handed down by the KSA in the event of a dispute.
Be a registered company in terms of SA law as well as being VAT and Workman’s Compensation registered, and registered with either the Building or Furniture Industry Bargaining Councils if this applies to them (International members must comply with the legal requirement of the country of their registration).
Be in good standing in the industry and be able to provide references to verify this.
Have been trading for a minimum of three years (early acceptance can be considered after two years if motivated by a minimum of three existing KSA members).
Be able to provide the KSA with copies of their standard trading contract and terms and conditions of sale.

Kitchen members must:

Offer a minimum of one-year guarantee on their product and installation excluding natural wear-and-tear or abuse.
Have a showroom where the quality of their workmanship can be viewed. The showroom will be used as a measurable benchmark against the work on site in the event of a dispute.
Take responsibility for the complete process from design, to manufacture and installation even is some of these are outsourced.

Supplier members must:

Offer a warranty or guarantee that is compliant with the Consumer Protection Act’s requirements for the product of or service or that nature.

Stone and Surface Fabricator members must:

Work from a professional space where consumers can visit and have the tools necessary to correctly cut and polish the products that they work with – this includes but is not limited to: bridge saw, router, polisher.

As a consumer, by ensuring your selected kitchen company uses KSA supplier members and fabricators you extend the protection the KSA can afford you and ensure accountability down the value chain.