I, Derek André Hanekom, Minister of Agriculture, acting under section 6 of the Agricultural Pests Act, 1983 (Act No. 36 of 1983), hereby—

1. prescribe the control measures set out in the Schedule hereto; and
2. repeal Government Notice No. R. 159 of 5 February 1993.

Definitions

1. Any word or phrase in this Schedule to which a meaning has been assigned in the Act shall have that meaning and, unless the context otherwise indicates—

"African bee" means a bee of the sub-species Apis mellifera scutellata;

"bee keeper" means any person owning or in charge of a colony of honey-bees, including persons farming with honey-bees;

"Cape bee" means a bee of the sub-species Apis mellifera capensis,

"executive officer" means the director in the Directorate: Plant and Quality Control in the Department;

"line" means the line starting at the point where the northern boundary of the Magisterial District of Vredendal and the western coastline of the Atlantic Ocean intersect and which runs from there in a generally easterly direction along the northern boundaries of the Magisterial Districts of Vredendal, Van Rhynsdorp, Calvinia, Williston, Fraserburg, Beaufort West, Munraysburg, Graaff-Reinet, Cradock, Tarkastad, Sterkstroom, Glen Gray, Indwe, the northern boundary of Barkley East and south-easterly along the boundaries of the Magisterial Districts of Elliot, Engcobo, Idutywa and Willowvale where it meets with the coastline of the Indian Ocean;

"the Act" means the Agricultural Pests Act, 1983 (Act No. 36 of 1983); and

"the authority" means the authority referred to in control measure 8.

2. No person shall move African bees from an area north of the line to an area south of the line without prior written approval for the executive officer.

3. No person shall move or keep Cape bees north of the line without prior written approval from the executive officer.

4. All users of land and all bee-keepers in the area north of the line, shall under the instructions and specifications of the authority, destroy within 72 hours of discovery, all honey-bee colonies that are queenless and in which laying workers are active.

5. (1) All bee-keepers shall register with the authority within 12 months of the date of publication of these control measures in the Gazette, at the following address:

The Chairperson
South African Professional Bee-Farmers Co-operative Limited
P.O. Box 811
CULLINAN
1000.

(2) When registering, the following information shall be furnished to the authority:

 
1. The name of the bee-keeper; and
2. the address of the bee-keeper.

(3) The authority shall upon registration allocate a registration number to each bee-keeper.

(4) The registered bee-keeper shall inform the authority immediately of any change in the information provided in terms of control measure 5 (2).

6. (1) By 1 October 2000, all bee-hives shall be marked to display clearly and legibly the registration number allocated the bee-keeper in terms of control measure 5 (3).

(2) Until such date or until all the bee-hives concerned have been so marked, whichever occurs first, a signpost displaying the registration number of the bee-keeper shall be places on each site upon which the bee-hives belonging to such beekeeper are located.

7. (1) Scientific research institutions involved in apicultural research, may apply to the executive officer for exemption from the provisions of control measure 4.

(2) Such an application shall be made in writing and addressed to the executive officer at the following address:

Directorate: Plant and Quality Control
Private Bag X258
PRETORIA
0001.
Authorisation to execute control measures

8. (1) The South African Professional Bee-Farmers Co-operative Limited is hereby authorised under section 2 (4) (a) of the Act, read with sections 7,8 (1) (2) and 9 of the Act, to carry out control measure 4.

(2) The authority shall-

1. exercise or perform the powers or duties conferred upon it in terms of control measure, 4,5 and 6;
2. have no recourse against the State for any expenses thus incurred; and
3. exercise the powers and perform the duties subject to the instructions of the executive officer concerned.