Land Demarcation
The ownership of land is a huge issue in South Africa.
It requires sharing, a dividing up amongst everyone who wants to own land – whether to farm, develop shopping centres, for residential estates, towns, road systems, and so forth. So, it has to be measured up and demarcated.
This all takes place in a very structured, controlled, and planned manner, and much of it is governed by the Land Survey Act 1997.
It is a criminal offence to:
- alter, move, disturb or damage any beacon, reference mark or survey station which has been erected for the purpose of any survey operations, whether on your land or not;1
- erect any beacon except under the supervision of a land surveyor, whatever your intention;2
- prevent, obstruct or impede the Surveyor-General, any of his officials, or a land surveyor performing any official functions in terms of the Act or any other law;3
- move, obscure or destroy any temporary flag, signal or other working point placed on land in connection with any surveying operations before the completion of those operations.4