Legal, Policy and Institutional Framework for Regulation of UAS in South Africa

This Chapter provides an analysis of the regulatory framework for regulation of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in South Africa. It specifically examines how the framework has addressed safety, security and privacy concerns arising from use and operations of UAS. This is provided through a brief background and overview of the legal and institutional framework under the South African Civil Aviation Act, 13 of 2009, and the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA). A critical analysis of the salient regulatory provisions vis-à-vis their efficacy in addressing operations, safety, security and privacy concerns is also provided. It is observed that South African civilian application of remotely-piloted aircraft is on the rise in such sectors like election monitoring, agriculture, hobbies, photography, wildlife monitoring, crime prevention and weather forecasting. Increased demand has progressively been recorded in firefighting, disaster management, pollution control, radio broadcasts and anti-poaching campaigns among other uses.