There are 3 types of code approval:

1. Building code approval, which is known as the SABS (South African Bureau of Standards) 0400 National Building Regulations ....do not include straw bale in the codes, however they make provision for the approval of indigenous building materials in their "deemed to satisfy" rules. Thus with the appointment of a structural Engineer to the project, (who carries the structural liability) one can quite easily get building plan approval. We have obtained approvals for at least 10 structures and know of at least 20 other structures approved across the country, in just about all the provinces.
2. The other form of approval used for alternate/new building systems is known as an Agreement Certificate and involves a whole lot of lab testing and large sums of money. This is typically used with various patented systems and is thus not applicable to generic types of buildings like Straw Bale.
3. The third form of approval is known as a Rational Design and would require an engineer to do extensive research around compliance with the Building Codes and how they relate the building methodology. If using international codes or tests one would need to relate this back to all the local SABS codes of practice .This method would require extensive research and an in depth understanding of our various SABS codes of practice.