(1) | Subject to subsection (2), the Minister may for purposes of any aeronautical or maritime search and rescue operation— |
(b) | request the assistance of any military aircraft or vessel; or |
(c) | instruct any holder of a South African aircraft flight crew licence or the master of a vessel to assist in the operation. |
(2) | In a case where the Minister contemplates requisitioning a civilian aircraft or vessel or instructing a civilian holder of a South African aircraft flight crew licence or the master of a vessel, the Minister may do so only if— |
(a) | human life is in imminent and grave danger; and |
(b) | there are insufficient or no other means available to conduct the operation. |
[Section 13(2)(a) and (b) substituted by section 10 of Act No. 5 of 2013]
(3) | Any person who, without lawful reason, fails to give effect to a requisition or to comply with an instruction contemplated in subsection (1) is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years. |