| (a) | wilfully makes any false declaration, statement or return; |
| (b) | obtains or seeks to obtain information that he or she is not duly authorised to obtain; |
| (c) | puts to any person a question which he or she is not duly authorised to ask; |
| (e) | wilfully discloses any data or information obtained in the course of such employment to a person not authorised to receive that information; |
| (f) | uses information obtained in the course of such employment for the purpose of speculating in— |
| (i) | any stock, bond or other security; or |
| (ii) | any goods or services, |
before its release is authorised by the Statistician-General; or
is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding R20 000, or such higher amount as is determined from time to time by the Minister of Justice as contemplated in section 1(1)(a) of the Adjustment of Fines Act, 1991 (Act No. 101 of 1991), or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months or to both such fine and such imprisonment.
[Words following section 18(1)(g) substituted by section 10(a) of the Statistics Amendment Act 29 of 2024, Notice No. 5724 of GG51805, dated 20 December 2024 – effective 1 October 2025 per Commencement Proclamation Notice 6692, GG53452, dated 30 September 2025]
| (a) | impersonates an officer of Statistics South Africa for the purpose of obtaining information from any person or body; or |
| (b) | represents himself or herself to be making an entry and inspection in terms of section 15 or putting a question in terms of section 16(1) when he or she is not an officer of Statistics South Africa authorised in terms of section 15 or 16, as the case may be, |
is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding R20 000, or such higher amount as is determined from time to time by the Minister of Justice as contemplated in section 1(1)(a) of the Adjustment of Fines Act, 1991, or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months or to both such fine and such imprisonment.
[Words following section 18(2)(b) substituted by section 10(b) of the Statistics Amendment Act 29 of 2024, Notice No. 5724 of GG51805, dated 20 December 2024 – effective 1 October 2025 per Commencement Proclamation Notice 6692, GG53452, dated 30 September 2025]
| (3) | Any individual, business or other organisation that— |
[Words preceding section 18(3)(a) substituted by section 10(c) of the Statistics Amendment Act 29 of 2024, Notice No. 5724 of GG51805, dated 20 December 2024 – effective 1 October 2025 per Commencement Proclamation Notice 6692, GG53452, dated 30 September 2025]
| (a) | fails to answer a question put in terms of section 16(2)(a) or furnishes an answer to such a question which is false or misleading in any material respect, knowing the answer to be false or misleading; |
| (b) | fails to furnish information or sign a declaration in terms of section 16(2)(b) or furnishes such information which is false or misleading in any material respect, knowing the information to be false or misleading; |
| (c) | incites any other person to act as contemplated in paragraph (a) or (b); |
| (i) | the Statistician-General or any authorised officer of Statistics South Africa, acting in terms of section 15, entry on any land or premises; or |
| (ii) | to permit the Statistician-General or that authorised officer to inspect anything on or in that land or premises; |
| (e) | wilfully obstructs the Statistician-General or any officer of Statistics South Africa in the exercise of a power, or the performance of a duty, in terms of this Act, |
[Words following Section 18(3)(e) substituted by section 10(e) of the Statistics Amendment Act 29 of 2024, Notice No. 5724 of GG51805, dated 20 December 2024 – effective 1 October 2025 per Commencement Proclamation Notice 6692, GG53452, dated 30 September 2025]
is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction—
| (i) | in the case of an individual, to a fine not exceeding R20 000, or such higher amount as is determined from time to time by the Minister of Justice as contemplated in section 1(1)(a) of the Adjustment of Fines Act, 1991, or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months or to both such fine and such imprisonment; and |
| (ii) | in the case of a business or other organisation, to a fine not exceeding R200 000 or an amount determined by the Minister from time to time by notice in the Gazette; and |
| (f) | wilfully discloses any statistical information contrary to the provisions of this Act, |
[Section 18(3)(f) inserted by section 10(d) of the Statistics Amendment Act 29 of 2024, Notice No. 5724 of GG51805, dated 20 December 2024 – effective 1 October 2025 per Commencement Proclamation Notice 6692, GG53452, dated 30 September 2025]
(4)
| (a) | A conviction of an offence referred to in subsection (3)(a) or (b) does not relieve any individual, business or other organisation of the obligation to supply the correct information. |
| (b) | If after 14 days from the date of sentencing for that offence, the information has still not been furnished, that individual, business or other organisation is guilty of a further offence and liable on conviction for each day after the expiry of that 14 day period-- |
| (i) | in the case of an individual, to a fine not exceeding R1 000 or an amount determined by the Minister from time to time by notice in the Gazette; or |
| (ii) | in the case of a business or other organisation, to a fine not exceeding R20 000 or an amount determined by the Minister by notice in the Gazette. |
[Section 18(4)(b)(i)(ii) substituted by section 10(f) of the Statistics Amendment Act 29 of 2024, Notice No. 5724 of GG51805, dated 20 December 2024 – effective 1 October 2025 per Commencement Proclamation Notice 6692, GG53452, dated 30 September 2025]
