I'll be visiting South Africa in early 2016 and would like to take my drone.

Can any South AFrican point me to the rules / law so I can get good photos without getting into trouble?  I'm mainly going to be in the Cape Peninsula area.

No rules in South Africa

I would say all of africa has no rules so far as they got bigger fish to fry.

Thanks Mikey and Willie.  I would just feel a little more reassured if there was a reply from someone in SA!  ;-)

(FWIW I used to live in SA and visit it every 3-4 years but haven't ever done drone flying there before)

This is still a bit of a sticky one in SA, recently we have had a major movement and new legislation in way or regulating drones in SA. Some saying the strictest in the world!
Everything is still a bit new and everyone is trying to understand the new laws but from what i understand, and the moment you can fly your drone in non restricted areas provided its for hobby use. If you fly your drone for professional used, as an income, you require a drone pilots license. As i said, the rules are still quite new and so far only one license has every been issued.

This might help.
http://businesstech.co.za/news/g ... ons-are-ridiculous/

Comments above from WONKA and MIKEY are ABSOLUTE BS and not true. We have very strict rules, I have provided a link that will help you understand our rules.

Drone rules in South Africa

marcbmt@gmail.c Posted at 2015-8-25 14:22
This is still a bit of a sticky one in SA, recently we have had a major movement and new legislation ...

Thank you.

If I read that correctly, I wouldn't be allowed to fly my P3 almost anywhere:

- not on Table Mountain (but probably too windy anyway)
- not off a beach
- not anywhere public

... all because of the requirement that "the drone is operated on property owned by the operator (or on property that the operator has the necessary permission to fly on);"  

Am I reading that right?

Codegit Posted at 2015-8-25 14:39
Comments above from WONKA and MIKEY are ABSOLUTE BS and not true. We have very strict rules, I have  ...

Thanks, Codegit.  Helpful.

Codegit Posted at 2015-8-25 14:39
Comments above from WONKA and MIKEY are ABSOLUTE BS and not true. We have very strict rules, I have  ...

You are right, I was sarcastic in my reply, I was trying to pump up your question so someone would start talking.

Lol, well played Wonka

msjh Posted at 2015-8-25 16:22
Thank you.

If I read that correctly, I wouldn't be allowed to fly my P3 almost anywhere:

The rules here are still fairly new and i dont know how or when they'll be enforcing them. That being said Cape Town's table mountain and major beaches are deffanetly out for flying, as are all national game parks. Get out of the crowded areas though and you can fly all you want.

marcbmt@gmail.c Posted at 2015-8-25 22:33
Lol, well played Wonka

Lol thank you ;)

msjh Posted at 2015-8-25 16:22
Thank you.

If I read that correctly, I wouldn't be allowed to fly my P3 almost anywhere:

The rules here are still fairly new and i dont know how or when they'll be enforcing them. That being said Cape Town's table mountain and major beaches are deffanetly out for flying, as are all national game parks. Get out of the crowded areas though and you can fly all you want.

Sorry dbl post

And as a general rule for everywhere FLY SMART and don't get caught.

There has been a lot of controversy about Drone Flying in South Africa,
The CAA(Civil Aviation Authority) basically wants no Drones in the Air Purely of "FLY UNSMART" drone Pilots.

I understand the point of the CAA, but at the same time they should not have allowed sales of drones in the country.There should of been serious taxes and regulations of drone purchases after the new laws had come into place if they really don't want it to get out of hand or in the air for that matter.

I personally was unaware of the regulations after i impulsively purchased my first drone (Phantom 3 Proffesional) and did some homework on where i could fly it in South Africa.

but thats my 2c.




View Link Below of the NDZ in South Africa.

http://www.safedrone.co.za/no-drone-zones

The SACAA has adopted new regulations for operating RPAS (drones) in South Africa, which came into effect on 1 July 2015. This article is a basic overview of the new regulations, and links to further info on each topic.

This article should not be considered legal advice!  Refer to the official CATS and CAR documents linked to below for the actual regulations.

Also see the article: Legal Requirements for operating drones in South Africa.



New Drone Regulations for South Africa:

New rules for drones in South Africa include (basic overview):

Do not fly more than 400 feet above the ground (about a 40 story building).
Do not fly more than 500 meters away from the pilot (line of sight).
Do not fly closer than 10km from an airport (any registered aerodrome, airstrip, helipad, etc).
Do not fly closer than 50m from people.
Do not fly closer than 50m from buildings.
Do not fly closer than 50m from roads.
Do not fly any drone more than 7kg for hobby use (up to 20kg for commercial use).


Commercial Drone Pilots:

Commercial RPAS operations require all of the following:

RPL -Remote Pilots Licence (incl.: Aviation Medical Certificate , English Language Proficiency Certificate , RPL pilot training).
Restricted Radio Licence.
RPL - RPAS Letter of Approval (incl.: Flight Manual , Technical Specifications , Maintenance Program , Safety Case).
ROC - Remote Operator Certificate (Operations Manual , Security Manual , Safety Management System , Quality Management System).
Air Service Licence (from the Air Services Council - Department of Transport).
The drone must be registered (with SACAA).
For night flying the RPA (drone) must be approved for night flights, including strobe lights and navigation lights.
Must have a transponder and special approval from SACAA to fly in controlled airspace.
Must have handheld Fire Extinguisher and a First Aid Kit.
Listed approvals in the Ops Spec (Operational Specifications): The commercial operator may have special approval to operate drones closer than 50m from people, buildings and roads, or within 10km from airports, within controlled airspace, etc.



Hobby Drone Pilots:

Private operations means the use of and RPA for the individuals personal and private purposes where there is no commercial interested, outcome or gain.

Private drone operation does not require any of the licenses, but the regulations do still apply.

Do not need an RPL (Remote Pilots Licence).
Do not need to register their RPAS aircraft.
Do not need Ops Manual, ROC, RLA, etc.
No not need Air Service Licence.
Can fly RPAS up to 7kg weight.
Can fly at night in R-VLOS only (previous not allowed for any RC aircraft).
Can fly up to the height of the highest object in 300m of the drone (or up to a max of 400 feet, whichever is the lower of the 2).
Can fly up to 500m away from the pilot, while maintaining direct line of sight (RVLOS).
Need to keep more than 50m from people.
Need to keep more than 50m from roads.
Need to keep more than 50m from buildings.
Need to keep more than 10km from a registered aerodrome (registered ones have letters such as FAOR ).
May not fly in controlled airspace at all (not even with permission from ATC).
May not fly in No Fly Zones.
Do not need handheld Fire Extinguisher.
Do not need a First Aid Kit.


Corporate / Non-Profit Drone Pilots:

Same as Commercial drone operator above, except that the Air Service Licence (from the Air Services Council) is not required for corporate or non-profit operations.




Download the complete new Regulations for RPAS (part 101)

The first step is to read through all the regulations and documents to gain a good understanding of all the requirements:

New Part 101 in CAR (Civil Aviation Regulations) - download CAR here from SACAA website .
New Part 101 in CATS (Civil Aviation Technical Standards) - download CATS here from SACAA website .
Technical Guidance Material (TGM) docs and Aeronautical Information Circular (AIC) docs - download all TGM and AIC here from SACAA website .
Fees payable to SACAA for RPAS - download fees here from SACAA website .
Read the main RPAS pages on the SACAA website .


Read More on http://www.safedrone.co.za

pm07 Posted at 2015-11-27 11:13
There has been a lot of controversy about Drone Flying in South Africa,
The CAA(Civil Aviation Autho ...

Do these rules actually mean that if I wanted to fly on a plain (flat ground) and there were no nearby structures, I would not be allowed to take off (the rule that I can fly the lower of 400' or the height of the lowest structure in the area)?

msjh Posted at 2016-1-11 18:03
Do these rules actually mean that if I wanted to fly on a plain (flat ground) and there were no ne ...

if this is a plain area, the highest you can go is 400ft, unless there is a building you wouldn´t be allowed to fly higher than it

marcbmt@gmail.c Posted at 2015-8-26 01:33
Lol, well played Wonka

OMG!!!
South Africans have internet! AND computers!!!!

Safe flying Guys
(expat down under)

Rob_stal Posted at 2016-1-12 11:01
OMG!!!
South Africans have internet! AND computers!!!!

OMG!!! Australians know whats an _

Rob_stal Posted at 2016-1-12 11:01
OMG!!!
South Africans have internet! AND computers!!!!

OMG!!! Australians know whats an _

pm07 Posted at 2016-3-5 08:33
OMG!!! Australians know whats an _

not too sure what " an_" is buddy.

_ is a underscore

pm07 Posted at 2016-3-5 10:01
_ is a underscore

I know that " _ " is an underscore, just don't know who or what you are referring to with " an_ ".
Maybe something I missed in a previous post.

Any other Drone Flyers here in durban ?

I went flying @ Midlands near Midmar Dam,Absolutely amazing footage from there.

Well phuck, wish I'd seen this thread before I brought my spark to capetown;) going to Durban on Wednesday though so hopefully I can fly it there.

10KM from a helipad? LOL

Interesting that my hotel is a 5 minute walk from an active helipad yet there's no NFZ there? Off to Boulders Beach today, hopefully can fly it near there.

pm07 Posted at 2015-11-27 03:13
There has been a lot of controversy about Drone Flying in South Africa,
The CAA(Civil Aviation Authority) basically wants no Drones in the Air Purely of "FLY UNSMART" drone Pilots.

That website is funky ---no   no fly zones there !