Zimbabwe
Bees Act
Chapter 19:02
- Published in Government Gazette
- Commenced on 1 March 1974
- [This is the version of this document at 31 December 2016 and includes any amendments published up to 31 December 2017.]
- [Note: This version of the Act was revised and consolidated by the Law Development Commission of Zimbabwe. This version is up-to-date as at 31st December 2016.]
Part I – Preliminary
1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Bees Act [Chapter 19:02].2. Interpretation
In this Act—“alienated land” means land which is not forest land, parks and wild life land or Communal Land, and which is—(a)private land; or(b)land vested in a local authority; or(c)State land held under an agreement of purchase or lease;“apiary” means a hive or the aggregate number of hives in use by a bee-keeper;“apiculturist” means a person employed in the Public Service as an apiculturist;“appliance” means any fitting, utensil, container, apparatus or implement, other than a hive, that is or has been used in bee-keeping or in handling or storing bees, honeycomb, bees-wax or honey or other products of a hive;“appropriate authority”, in relation to any land, means—(a)in the case of alienated land—(i)the owner thereof; or(ii)where the land is held under an agreement of purchase or lease, the purchaser or lessee unless the agreement otherwise provides;and includes any person appointed to be an appropriate authority for the land by such owner, purchaser or lessee, as the case may be;(b)in the case of unalienated land—(i)which is parks and wild life land or other land not referred to in subparagraphs (ii) and (iii), the Director;(ii)which is forest land, the Forestry Commission;(iii)which is an area of Communal Land in respect of which the Minister has in terms of section nineteen appointed a rural district council to be the appropriate authority, that rural district council;(iv)which is an area of Communal Land not referred to in subparagraph (iii), the Minister;“bee” means any honey-bee of the species Apis mellifera;“bee-keeper” means any person who keeps bees;“bees-wax” means raw bees-wax produced from bees by a bee-keeper but not bees-wax which has been commercially processed;“conservation committee” means—(a)a conservation committee appointed for an intensive conservation area in terms of the Natural Resources Act [Chapter 20:13]; or(b)a rural district council declared to be a conservation committee in terms of the Rural District Councils Act [Chapter 29:13];“declared disease area” means an area of land declared to be a declared disease area in terms of section three;“Director” means the Director of National Parks and Wild Life Management;“disease” means—(a)any disease affecting bees, honeycomb, bees-wax or honey which is caused by or consists of the presence of any insect, fungus, bacteria or virus;(b)any disease or symptom affecting bees, honeycomb, bees-wax or honey which is declared to be a disease in terms of section eighteen;“herbicide” means any substance which is manufactured for the purpose of killing non-woody plants and is to be applied, either dry or wet, mechanically under pressure;“honorary officer” means a person appointed as an honorary officer in terms of section twenty-five;“hive” means any receptacle housing bees or which has housed bees;“insecticide” means any substance which is manufactured for the purpose of killing insects and is to be applied, either dry or wet, mechanically under pressure;“inspector” means any person designated as an inspector in terms of section twenty;“local authority” means a municipal council, town council, local board or rural district council;“Minister” means the Minister of Environment and Tourism or any other Minister to whom the President may, from time to time, assign the administration of this Act;“natural hive” means a hive occurring naturally in the wild which is occupied by bees;“occupier”, in relation to land, means the person in lawful occupation of the land who has the right to exercise general control over such land and resides thereon;“sell” includes barter, exchange, hawk, offer or expose for sale;“State land” means land vested in the President other than Communal Land;“unalienated land” means—(a)forest land; or(b)parks and wild life land; or(c)Communal Land; or(d)other land which is not referred to in paragraphs (a), (b) or (c) and which is not —(i)private land; or(ii)land vested in a local authority; or(iii)State land held under an agreement of purchase or lease.Part II – Control of disease
3. Declared disease area
4. Power to destroy diseased bees
5. Hives, etc., liable to spread disease to be disinfected
6. Notice to be given where bees diseased, etc.
7. Infected hives, appliances, honey, etc., not to be exposed to bees
8. Power of inspector to prohibit removal of bees, etc., from place where diseased bees, etc., are to be kept
Part III – Conservation of bees found in the wild
9. Restriction on removal of bees, etc., found in natural hives
10. Sale of honeycomb, etc., from natural hive controlled
Part IV – Bee-keeping
11. Interpretation of terms in Part II
“application of insecticides to land” does not include the use of insecticides in any dwelling, dairy, shed, barn or similar building or structure on the land;“specified area” means an area declared to be a specified area in terms of section fourteen.12. Prohibited apiary sites
13. Abandoned bees and hives
If an inspector is satisfied that any bees, hives or appliances have been abandoned or are neglected, he may take possession of them and shall dispose of them in the manner prescribed.14. Declaration of specified areas
15. Bee-keeper may require occupiers to give notice of intention to use insecticides or herbicides
16. Occupiers to give notice of use of insecticides or herbicides
17. Unauthorized removal of bees, etc., from apiaries
Part V – General
18. Declaration of diseases
19. Appointment of appropriate authority
20. Appointment of inspectors
21. Powers of entry and inspection by inspectors
22. Evidence
In any prosecution in respect of an offence in terms of this Act any prescribed record, book or document kept in terms of this Act or a copy of any order purporting to be made by the Minister or an inspector in terms of this Act shall be prima facie evidence of the facts recorded therein or of the fact that such order was made upon its production by the person in whose custody it is.23. Recovery of expense incurred by inspectors
24. Court may order payment of compensation
25. Honorary officers
26. Personation
Any person who—27. Obstruction
Any person who—28. ***
[subsection repealed by section 4 of Act 22 of 2001]29. Regulations
History of this document
31 December 2016 this version
Consolidation
01 March 1974
Commenced