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National Heritage Resources Act, 1999 (Act No. 25 of 1999)

Chapter III : General Provisions

Part 1 : Enforcement, appeals, offences and penalties

51. Offences and penalties

 

(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law, any person who contravenes—
(a) sections 27(18), 29(10), 32(13) or 32(19) is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine or imprisonment or both such fine and imprisonment as set out in item 1 of the Schedule;
(b) sections 33(2), 35(4) or 36(3) is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine or imprisonment or both such fine and imprisonment as set out in item 2 of the Schedule;
(c) sections 28(3) or 34(1) is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine or imprisonment or both such fine and imprisonment as set out in item 3 of the Schedule;
(d) sections 27(22), 32(15), 33(1), 35(6) or 44(3) is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine or imprisonment or both such fine and imprisonment as set out in item 4 of the Schedule;
(e) sections 27(23)(b), 32(17), 35(3), 36(3) or 51(8) is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine or imprisonment or both such fine and imprisonment as set out in item 5 of the Schedule;
(f) sections 32(13), 32(16), 32(20), 35(7)(a), 44(2), 50(5) or 50(12) is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine or imprisonment or both such fine and imprisonment as set out in item 6 of the Schedule.

 

(2) The Minister, with the concurrence of the relevant MEC, may prescribe a penalty of a fine or of imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months for any contravention or failure to comply with regulations by heritage resources authorities or by-laws by local authorities.

 

(3) The Minister or the MEC, as the case may be, may make regulations in terms of which the magistrate of the district concerned may—
(a) levy admission of guilt fines up to a maximum amount of R10 000 for infringement of the terms of this Act for which such heritage resources authority is responsible; and
(b) serve a notice upon a person who is contravening a specified provision of this Act or has not complied with the terms of a permit issued by such authority, imposing a daily fine of R50 for the duration of the contravention, subject to a maximum period of 365 days.

 

(4) The Minister may from time to time by regulation adjust the amounts referred to in subsection (3) in order to account for the effect of inflation.

 

(5) Any person who—
(a) fails to provide any information that is required to be given, whether or not on the request of a heritage resources authority, in terms of this Act;
(b) for the purpose of obtaining, whether for himself or herself or for any other person, any permit, consent or authority in terms of this Act, makes any statement or representation knowing it to be false or not knowing or believing it to be true;
(c) fails to comply with or performs any act contrary to the terms, conditions, restrictions or directions subject to which any permit, consent or authority has been issued to him or her in terms of this Act;
(d) obstructs the holder of a permit in terms of this Act in exercising a right granted to him or her by means of such a permit;
(e) damages, takes or removes, or causes to be damaged, taken or removed from a place protected in terms of this Act any badge or sign erected by a heritage authority or a local authority under section 25(2)(j) or section 27(17), any interpretive display or any other property or thing;
(f) receives any badge, emblem or any other property or thing unlawfully taken or removed from a place protected in terms of this Act; and
(g) within the terms of this Act, commits or attempts to commit any other unlawful act, violates any prohibition or fails to perform any obligation imposed upon him or her by its terms, or who counsels, procures, solicits or employs any other person to do so,

shall be guilty of an offence and upon conviction shall be liable to such maximum penalties, in the form of a fine or imprisonment or both such fine and such imprisonment, as shall be specified in the regulations under subsection (3).

 

(6) Any person who believes that there has been an infringement of any provision of this Act, may lay a charge with the South African Police Services or notify a heritage resources authority.

 

(7) A magistrate’s court shall, notwithstanding the provisions of any other law, be competent to impose any penalty under this Act.

 

(8) When any person has been convicted of any contravention of this Act which has resulted in damage to or alteration of a protected heritage resource the court may—
(a) order such person to put right the result of the act of which he or she was found guilty, in the manner so specified and within such period as may be so specified, and upon failure of such person to comply with the terms of such order, order such person to pay to the heritage resources authority responsible for the protection of such resource a sum equivalent to the cost of making good; or
(b) when it is of the opinion that such person is not in a position to make good damage done to a heritage resource by virtue of the offender not being the owner or occupier of a heritage resource or for any other reason, or when it is advised by the heritage resources authority responsible for the protection of such resource that it is unrealistic or undesirable to require that the results of the act be made good, order such person to pay to the heritage resources authority a sum equivalent to the cost of making good.

 

(9) In addition to other penalties, if the owner of a place has been convicted of an offence in terms of this Act involving the destruction of, or damage to, the place, the Minister on the advice of SAHRA or the MEC on the advice of a provincial heritage resources authority, may serve on the owner an order that no development of such place may be undertaken, except making good the damage and maintaining the cultural value of the place, for a period not exceeding 10 years specified in the order.

 

(10) Before making the order, the local authority and any person with a registered interest in the land must be given a reasonable period to make submissions on whether the order should be made and for how long.

 

(11) An order of no development under subsection (9) attaches to the land and is binding not only on the owner as at the date of the order, but also on any person who becomes an owner of the place while the order remains in force.

 

(12) The Minister on the advice of SAHRA, may reconsider an order of no development and may in writing amend or repeal such order.

 

(13) In any case involving vandalism, and whenever else a court deems it appropriate, community service involving conservation of heritage resources may be substituted for, or instituted in addition to, a fine or imprisonment.

 

(14) Where a court convicts a person of an offence in terms of this Act, it may order the forfeiture to SAHRA or the provincial heritage resources authority concerned, as the case may be, of a vehicle, craft, equipment or any other thing used or otherwise involved in the committing of the offence.

 

(15) A vehicle, craft, equipment or other thing forfeited under subsection (14) may be sold or otherwise disposed of as the heritage resources authority concerned deems fit.