In order to be licenced and legally practice acupuncture in South Africa, you need a 5 year BSC degree obtained from the university of the Western cape.
The
Health Professions Council of SA sets the qualification criteria for the various health professions. They are:
Dental therapy & oral hygiene
Dietetics
Emergency care
Environmental health
Medical & dental
Medical technology
Occupational therapy, medical orthotics / prosthetics & arts therapy
Optometry & Dispensing Opticians
Physiotherapy, Podiatry & Biokinetics
Psychology
Radiography & Clinical Technology
Speech, Language & Hearing Professions
The respective qualification criteria for each profession is given on the website.
The Allied Health Professionals Council is a highly controversial body that gives status to pseudo-scientific medical practices. They have their own registration requirements:
Qualifications required for registration in diagnostic allied health professions:
Chiropractic and Homeopathy: Five year full time Masters Degree as currently offered at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and Durban University of Technology (DUT).
Homeopathy for Medical Doctors: Postgraduate Diploma in Homeopathy as currently offered at the South African Faculty of Homeopathy.
Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, Naturopathy, Phytotherapy and Unani-Tibb: Three year Basic Medical Sciences with a two year specialisation in one of the above as currently offered at the University of the Western Cape (UWC).
There are currently no accredited courses available in South Africa for Ayurveda and Osteopathy.
Qualifications required for registration in therapies:
Therapeutic Aromatherapy, Therapeutic Massage Therapy and Therapeutic Reflexology are 240 credit qualifications currently available at various accredited private providers, as listed under our Education page.
Splat is broadly right that you are required to study for five years at UWC in order to register as acupuncturist with the AHPC, though it involves a three year degree in basic medical sciences (which is not acupuncture), followed by what seems to be a two year diploma in acupuncture.
The problem here is that universities presenting such courses and an institution recognized by the state give these practices perceived legitimacy. That is why people like Splat are deceived into believing that
Acupuncture is a real science.
In truth, these practices have no credible scientific foundation and have never been empirically proven to cure.