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Defence Act, 1957 (Act No. 44 of 1957)

Chapter IX : Administration and General Powers of the State President, the Minister and Officers

79. Areas for training

 

 

(1)

(a) The Minister may from time to time appoint areas wherein any portion of the South African Defence Force may, without the consent of any person affected or likely to be affected thereby, conduct military exercises, and may prescribe the conditions under which compensation may be claimed by and paid to an owner or occupier of land in any such area for damage or loss sustained by him in consequence of the conduct of such exercises on such land: Provided that no camp shall be erected within a radius of five hundred metres of a private dwelling, except with the consent of the owner or occupier thereof.

[Paragraph (a) amended by section 36 of Act No. 132 of 1992]

(b) No area shall be appointed under paragraph (a) unless the Chief of the South African Defence Force has published in respect of every district in which any land forming portion of that area is situate, a notice in one English and one Afrikaans newspaper circulating in that district, to the effect that such area, which shall be defined in the notice, is proposed to be appointed as a training area under paragraph (a) and inviting all interested persons to furnish him not later than a date specified in the notice, with any representations they may wish to make in regard thereto, and has duly considered all representations so received.

[Paragraph (b) amended by section 36 of Act No. 132 of 1992]

 

(2) The officer in command of any portion of the South African Defence Force which is undergoing training or is engaged in military exercises may temporarily stop all traffic by land, air or water or in the vicinity of any area appointed under subsection (1) or any other area used for range practice or other training, in so far as may in his opinion be necessary for the security of life or the proper conduct of the training or military exercises, and any person who disobeys or disregards any order or signal given in the exercise of the powers conferred by this subsection shall be guilty of an offence.