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Iziko Museums of South Africa publication

Iziko Museums of South AfricaRef: https://www.iziko.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/legislation.pdf

Official source

Source domain: iziko.org.za

Collected on 13 July 2026

Always confirm details on the official source before acting.

Our copy (archived 20 July 2026)Official source

What this means

The document is an explanatory piece about South African shipwreck legislation and how shipwrecks are regulated. It states that in South Africa the National Heritage Resources Act (NHRA), 1999 (Act No. 25 of 1999) covers wrecks older than 60 years as archaeological sites, requiring a permit from SAHRA to remove or disturb anything. It also explains that permit holders must obtain a letter of co-operation from a SAHRA-approved repository (e.g., a museum with an official collections policy and conservation facilities), and that recovered items cannot be sold. The text contrasts this with an older system under the National Monuments Act, 1969 (Act No. 28 of 1969) that involved a 50% division of recovered artefacts, and notes international protection under the UNESCO 2001 Convention, which South Africa ratified in June 2015.

Facts

Reference

https://www.iziko.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/legislation.pdf

Key Takeaways

  • National Heritage Resources Act (NHRA), 1999 (Act No. 25 of 1999) covers shipwrecks older than 60 years
  • Wrecks older than 60 years are treated as archaeological sites
  • Permit required from SAHRA to remove or disturb anything from such shipwrecks
  • Permit holder must have a letter of co-operation from a SAHRA-approved repository (e.g., a museum)
  • Recovered items from archaeological shipwrecks cannot be sold
  • Old system referenced: National Monuments Act, 1969 (Act No. 28 of 1969) with amendments starting in 1979
  • Old system included a 50%/50% division of recovered items between museum and permit holder
  • UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage promulgated in 2001
  • South Africa ratified the UNESCO convention in June 2015
  • Advice: notify SAHRA or a local museum if gold is found; removing without a permit is illegal
  • South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA)
  • Iziko Museums
  • Iziko Museums (museum referenced as having letters of cooperation and collections policy)
  • UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation)
  • HMS Pandora
  • Queensland Museum
  • Tommy Thompson
  • SS Central America
  • Israel Antiquities Authority
  • National Heritage Resources Act (NHRA)
  • National Monuments Act, 1969
  • Caesarea, Israel
  • Grosvenor (wreck referenced)