One society.
Every portal.
Standards you can trust.
Endoscopy puts every step of the operation on screen. SAESS sets the standard South African endoscopic spine surgeons are measured against, through verified logbooks, peer learning and continuous training.
Endoscopic expertise, province by province.
Pins come from members' practice locations. Only paid-up members who choose to be listed appear, and members can opt out at any time. SAESS lists members; it does not endorse or refer.
Training, research and a shared standard of care.
SAESS brings together the surgeons advancing minimally invasive spine surgery in South Africa: a forum for practitioners, a home for training and research, and a link to the international endoscopic community.
Read our aimsWhat's on
Join the society shaping endoscopic spine care.
Membership runs for 12 months from the day your payment clears. Pay once a year or switch on auto-renew. Members attend SAESS webinars free, get the congress member rate, the video library and a listing in Find a surgeon.
Executive Committee
Roles and contactsTraining, research and a shared standard of care.
The South African Endoscopic Spine Society is the professional body for orthopaedic surgeons and neurosurgeons practising minimally invasive spine surgery: microscopic, monoportal (full-endoscopic) and biportal (UBE) techniques.
What we do
SAESS is a non-profit company. It brings surgeons in these techniques together so that South African patients have access to safe, well-taught minimally invasive spine surgery, and so that surgeons have a professional home in which to learn, teach and compare results.
In summary, the society works for
- the wellbeing of its members;
- research and training in minimally invasive and endoscopic spine surgery;
- a forum where practitioners meet, share cases and learn from each other;
- ties with endoscopic spine societies and surgeons abroad;
- high ethical standards in practice.
The aims of the society
The full objects of the society are set out in our Memorandum of Incorporation (PDF).
- Promoting the needs, interests and wellbeing of orthopaedic surgeons and neurosurgeons specialising in spinal endoscopy.
- Promoting academic research and training in the field, to ensure improved care for patients undergoing spinal endoscopy.
- Providing a forum for orthopaedic surgeons and neurosurgeons who practise endoscopic spinal surgery.
- Fostering, developing and supporting teaching, training and research in spinal endoscopy.
- Carrying out academic and social activities for the betterment of members practising in the field.
- Fostering ties with the international spinal endoscopy community, those practising and researching endoscopic spine surgery, to increase the resources and knowledge of South African endoscopic spinal surgeons.
- Maintaining the highest ethical standards in spinal endoscopy, with full communication and interaction with other recognised bodies and specialty associations.
Three approaches, one society
Microscopic surgery
Decompression and discectomy through a small opening under the operating microscope.
Full-endoscopic surgery
One portal carrying the endoscope and the working channel, by transforaminal or interlaminar routes.
Unilateral biportal endoscopy (UBE)
Two small portals: one for the endoscope and one for the instruments.
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee runs the society between general meetings. Write to an office-bearer directly at the address under their name.
What's on
Webinars for CPD and our inaugural congress in Cape Town. Members attend SAESS webinars free.
Members watch every past webinar in the video library. Non-members who paid for a webinar get its recording for 30 days.
Next SAESS webinar
Live on Zoom, with CPD points and a certificate after attendance. Free for SAESS members; R500 for non-members.
Missed one? Members watch every past webinar.
Open the resource libraryRecordings, slides and CPD quizzes from past SAESS webinars live in the video library for paid-up members.
Endoscopic expertise, province by province.
Choose a province on the map or below, then select a pin or a name to see the surgeon.
Only paid-up SAESS members who choose to be listed appear. Listing is on by default and members can switch it off at any time in their portal. Members practising outside South Africa are listed under "Outside South Africa". SAESS lists members; it does not endorse or refer.
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Join the society shaping endoscopic spine care.
All fees are in South African rand, for 12 rolling months from the day your payment clears. Payment is by card through Paystack and is non-refundable. You can switch yearly auto-renew on or off in your portal at any time.
Membership FAQ
Join SAESS
Confirm your email and mobile with a code, then pay securely by card. Membership starts as soon as payment clears.
Get in touch
Questions about membership, webinars, the congress or Find a surgeon. We reply within a few working days.
Terms & conditions
These terms apply when you join SAESS, pay for a webinar or use this website. "SAESS", "we" and "us" mean the SA Endoscopic Spine Society NPC (the South African Endoscopic Spine Society, "SAESS"), a non-profit company. By paying or using the site, you accept these terms.
Who we are (ECTA section 43)
- Full name
- SA Endoscopic Spine Society NPC (the South African Endoscopic Spine Society, "SAESS")
- Legal status
- Non-profit company (NPC) registered in South Africa
- Reg. No.
- 2024/745467/08
- Physical address
- 1 Coetzee Street, Lemoenkloof, Paarl, Western Cape, 7646
- Postal address
- [postal address]
- info@saendospine.org
- Phone
- 021 903 2696 (Treasurer, Dr Leonie Bell)
- Website
- www.saendospine.org
- Directors
- Office-bearers are listed on the Committee page. [Full names of directors as registered with CIPC]
- VAT
- Not VAT-registered. No VAT is charged.
- Code of conduct
- [SAESS does not subscribe to an electronic-commerce code of conduct / name of code]
What we offer
SAESS is a professional society for spine surgeons. We sell society membership and access to online webinars. Everything is delivered digitally, through this website, your member portal, email and Zoom. Nothing is posted.
Membership
- Regular membership costs R999 a year. It runs for 12 rolling months from the day your payment clears.
- Regular: South African spine surgeons, with full voting rights. SASS membership is required.
- Student: registrars and fellows, at half the Regular price. You need a current letter from your training programme each year. No voting rights.
- International: surgeons practising outside South Africa, at the full Regular price. All benefits, no voting rights.
- Life: an honour bestowed by the Board. It is not for sale.
- Auto-renew is optional. If you switch it on, we charge your saved card for the next year on your renewal date. You can switch it off in your portal at any time, and it stops before the next renewal.
- You agree to keep your details accurate and to follow the SAESS Memorandum of Incorporation.
Webinars
- Paid-up members attend SAESS webinars free. Non-members pay R500 per webinar.
- Your Zoom join link is personal and works on one device at a time. You may not share or forward it. We may cancel a link that is shared.
- Non-members who paid for a webinar can watch its recording for 30 days.
- Past recordings are kept in a members-only library.
Prices and payment
- All prices are in South African rand (ZAR) and are the full price. There are no extra fees, delivery costs or VAT.
- We accept card payments only, processed by Paystack.
- Paystack is PCI-DSS certified. Your card details go straight to Paystack over an encrypted connection. SAESS never sees or stores your full card number. See Payment security.
- Access starts as soon as your payment clears. At checkout you ask for, and agree to, the service starting immediately.
Cancellation and refunds
Membership and webinar payments are non-refundable, because access is given as soon as payment clears. See Refunds & cancellations for the one exception and for how to stop auto-renew.
Find a surgeon
Paid-up members are listed in Find a surgeon unless they switch it off. SAESS lists members; it does not endorse or refer, and a listing is not medical advice. Profiles show facts only.
Your privacy
How we handle your personal information is set out in our Privacy policy (POPIA).
Complaints and disputes
Raise any complaint or dispute in writing to info@saendospine.org. We will acknowledge it and respond in writing within [x] working days. If we cannot resolve it, you may take it further under the Consumer Protection Act or the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, as applicable. [Alternative dispute resolution body, if any.]
General
South African law applies to these terms. We may update them; the date at the top of this page shows the latest version. [Limitation of liability clause: for attorney to draft.]
Refunds & cancellations
No refunds
Membership fees and webinar payments are non-refundable.
This is because access is given as soon as your payment clears: member benefits and the video library open, or your webinar join link is sent. At checkout you ask for the service to start immediately, and you agree that you then lose the cooling-off right. Under section 42(2)(d) of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, the seven-day cooling-off period does not apply to services that begin, with your consent, before the cooling-off period ends. [Attorney to confirm wording and the checkout consent step.]
The one exception
If you are a paid-up member and you are charged for a webinar by mistake, we refund that payment in full, to the card you paid with.
If you miss a webinar
Non-members who paid for a webinar can watch its recording for 30 days. Members can watch past webinars in the members-only library for as long as their membership is current.
Stopping your membership
Membership runs for 12 rolling months. To stop it renewing, switch auto-renew off in your portal at any time before the renewal date. Your membership stays active until the end of the period you paid for. We do not refund the unused part of a year.
If SAESS cancels a webinar
[What happens if SAESS cancels or postpones a webinar or event (new date, recording or refund): to be confirmed.]
Disputes
Write to info@saendospine.org with your name, the payment date and the Paystack reference from your receipt. We will respond in writing within [x] working days. Please contact us before you dispute a charge with your bank.
Privacy policy (POPIA)
The SA Endoscopic Spine Society NPC (the South African Endoscopic Spine Society, "SAESS") is the responsible party for the personal information you give us, under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). This policy explains what we collect, why, who helps us process it and what your rights are.
Information officer
[Name of Information Officer], info@saendospine.org, 021 903 2696.
What we collect
- Your name, email and mobile number. We verify your mobile with an SMS code.
- Professional details: HPCSA number, BHF practice number, SASS membership number and speciality.
- Your practice or hospital, and city.
- An optional profile photo and bio.
- A Student member's programme letter, to confirm eligibility.
- Payment records from Paystack: amount, date, reference, and card type and last four digits if you use auto-renew. Never your full card number.
- Surgical logbook case counts, if you choose to use the logbook. They stay private.
- Your webinar registrations and attendance.
Why we use it
- To run your membership, confirm your category and contact you about it.
- To take and record payments.
- To issue CPD certificates.
- To list members in the public Find a surgeon directory (see below).
- To register you for webinars and send your join link.
We process this information to perform our agreement with you, to meet legal duties (such as keeping financial records), and with your consent where we ask for it. [Attorney to confirm POPIA s11 grounds.]
Find a surgeon (on by default)
Paid-up members are listed in Find a surgeon, so that patients, colleagues and industry can find them. We tell you this when you join. The listing shows your name, title, speciality, practice or hospital, city and province, and a pin on the map. It never shows your email, phone or ID and registration numbers. You can switch your listing off at any time in Settings in your portal.
Members receive news, webinar and congress updates as part of membership. You can opt out at any time under Settings in your portal or with the unsubscribe link in every news email, and we tell you this when you join. [Attorney to confirm this meets POPIA section 69 for members.] Transactional emails, such as receipts, renewal notices, meeting notices and webinar join links, are sent regardless, because they are part of the service.
Who helps us (operators)
These service providers process information for us, under contract, and only for the purposes above:
- Amazon Web Services: hosting and database.
- Paystack: card payments.
- Google Workspace: email.
- Twilio: SMS verification codes.
- Zoom: webinars.
We do not sell your personal information.
Information sent outside South Africa
Our systems run on Amazon Web Services in Europe (Stockholm, Sweden, region eu-north-1). Some of our other operators may also process information outside South Africa. Under section 72 of POPIA, we only transfer personal information to operators bound by laws or agreements that give it protection at least as strong as POPIA. Sweden is covered by the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). [Attorney to confirm transfer basis for each operator.]
How we protect it
The site uses HTTPS. You sign in with a one-time code, not a password. Access to member data is limited to the people who need it to run SAESS. Card data is handled only by Paystack, which is PCI-DSS certified.
How long we keep it
- Membership information: for as long as you are a member, and [x] years after that.
- Financial records: 5 years, as the law requires.
- Webinar registrations and logbook counts: [retention period].
Cookies and browser storage
We only use essential browser storage to keep you signed in. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies.
Your rights
You may ask to see the information we hold about you, and to correct or delete it. You may object to how we use it, and withdraw consent you gave. Write to the information officer at info@saendospine.org. We will respond within [x] working days.
You may also complain to the Information Regulator: inforegulator.org.za, [Information Regulator complaints email].
Changes
We may update this policy. The date at the top of this page shows the latest version.
PAIA manual
This manual explains how to ask for records held by SAESS under section 51 of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA).
Company details
- Name
- SA Endoscopic Spine Society NPC (the South African Endoscopic Spine Society, "SAESS")
- Reg. No.
- 2024/745467/08
- Physical address
- 1 Coetzee Street, Lemoenkloof, Paarl, Western Cape, 7646
- Postal address
- [postal address]
- info@saendospine.org
- Phone
- 021 903 2696
- Website
- www.saendospine.org
Information officer
[Name of Information Officer], info@saendospine.org. [Deputy information officer, if any.]
The Information Regulator's guide
The Information Regulator publishes a guide on how to use PAIA. You can get it from inforegulator.org.za or from the Regulator's office. [Information Regulator postal and physical address.]
Records we hold
- Company records: Memorandum of Incorporation, minutes, registers.
- Member records: membership details, payment records, CPD attendance, webinar registrations.
- Financial records: payments received through Paystack, accounts.
- [Records available without a request, if any.]
Personal information (POPIA)
What personal information we process, why, who receives it, cross-border transfers and how we protect it are set out in our Privacy policy (POPIA).
How to make a request
Send your request in writing to the information officer, on the prescribed form (Form 2). Say which records you want, how you want to receive them, and which right the records are needed for.
[Prescribed fees, processing times (30 days under PAIA, extendable), grounds for refusal and how to appeal or complain to the Information Regulator: attorney to complete.]
This manual is available on this website and from the information officer. [Date manual last updated.]
Payment security
- Card payments are processed securely by Paystack. SAESS never sees or stores your card number.
- Card data is handled only by Paystack, which is PCI-DSS certified.
- If you switch on auto-renew, Paystack keeps a token for your card; we only see the card type and last four digits.
- This website uses HTTPS. You sign in to the portal with a one-time code sent to your email, so there is no password to steal.
- Member data is held on Amazon Web Services in the EU (Stockholm region).
- All prices are in South African rand (ZAR). SAESS is not VAT-registered, so no VAT is charged.
If something about a payment looks wrong, write to info@saendospine.org.
Unsubscribe from SAESS news
Stop SAESS news, webinar and congress updates for ?
Membership notices such as payment confirmations, renewals and general meeting notices will still reach you.
You will no longer receive SAESS news. You can subscribe again at any time in your portal or by emailing info@saendospine.org.
This unsubscribe link is not valid or has expired. Please email info@saendospine.org and we will remove you.
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