Multiwatt

The reasoning behind the stricter control of inverters and installations is for the following reasons:

1) Eskom (COCT is just leading the way in terms of enforcement) want to ensure that all inverters connected to their grid meet certain minimum requirements in terms of safety but also in terms of power quality and grid control: 
Proven anti-islanding topology that makes feeding back into a "blacked-out" or "browned-out" grid impossible. I know of an instance here in Worcester where a lineman (luckily) measured 2kV on a line that was "isolated" and the culprit was a shitty 5 star inverter that back-fed into the grid. Rare but possible. Harmonics: Australia's grid is already seeing very high harmonic levels due to the large adoption of high frequency inverters. They are even deploying synchronous condensers to combat the effects. Shitty inverters have higher switching harmonics. Frequency Power control: In the future when PV plus inverter adoption is high (inevitable) Eskom needs a way of throttling this grid-connected power for a multitude of brands and locations. This can only be done by frequency shifting. By enforcing NRS097-2-1 standards the approved inverters have this safety feature readily installed. Logistical and practical bookkeeping of all systems: The city council needs a system that shows the location (in the garage/kitchen) and size (in kilo-Watt) of all installations. By using weather forecasting Eskom can ramp their turbines up or down depending on load and weather anomalies. In short: It is a matter of ensuring that whatever gets connected to their grid meets certain quality and safety standards.
The technicalities of this falls outside the area of competence of an electrician and a junior engineer.
There have also been a multitude of house fires caused by systems with a freshly written CoC. I have seen life threatening installations that have a CoC.

Engineers registered at the ECSA was thus chosen to ensure this quality control.

Sure, it certainly is an inconvenience, but at the rate PV is being deployed in the country it makes 100% sense from a grid operator's point of view. 

Feel free to contact www.multiwatt.co.za for sign-off and engineering assistance.
 

Actually not the updated NRS-097-2-1 published 2024 does not allow a permanent bond see: 5.4 Neutral to earth bonding when forming an intentional island 
5.4.1 To prevent a SSEG neutral connection to the the utility neutral through an earth conductor when 
the SDU opens, the SSEG shall not have a permanent neutral bonding to earth.
NRS-097-2-1-Published-2024.pdf