Related documents
Abuse of Dependence-Producing Substances and Rehabilitation Centres Act, 1971
Act 41 of 1971
- Published in South African Government Gazette 3118 on 26 May 1971
- Assented to on 17 May 1971
- Commenced on 6 December 1971 by Commencement of the Abuse of Dependence-Producing Substances and Rehabilitation Centres Act, 1971
- [This is the version of this document from 1 January 1986 and includes any amendments published up to 3 January 2025.]
- [Amended by Amendment of the Schedule to the Abuse of Dependence-Producing Substances and Rehabilitation Centres Act, 1971 (Proclamation R32 of 1972) on 25 February 1972]
- [Amended by Amendment of the Schedule to the abuse of dependence producing substances and Rehabilitation Centres Act, 1971 (Proclamation R263 of 1972) on 19 November 1972]
- [Amended by Abuse of Dependence-producing Substances and Rehabilitation Centres Amendment Act, 1973 (Act 80 of 1973) on 6 July 1973]
- [Amended by Amendment of the Schedule to the Abuse of Dependence-producing Substances and Rehabilitation Centres Act, 1971 (Proclamation R155 of 1973) on 29 July 1973]
- [Amended by Medical, Dental and Supplementary Health Service Professions Act, 1974 (Act 56 of 1974) on 21 February 1975]
- [Amended by Amendment of the Schedule to the Abuse of Dependence-Producing Substances and Rehabilitation Centres Act, 1971 (Proclamation 243 of 1975) on 30 November 1975]
- [Amended by Dependence-producing substances and Rehabilitation Centres Act 1971: Amendment (Proclamation 25 of 1976) on 20 February 1976]
- [Amended by Abuse of Dependence-producing Substances and Rehabilitation Centres Act, as amended: Amendment (Proclamation R141 of 1976) on 30 July 1976]
- [Amended by Dependence-producing Substances and Rehabilitation Centres Act 1971: Amendment (Proclamation 239 of 1976) on 5 November 1976]
- [Amended by Abuse of Dependence-producing Substances and Rehabilitation Centres Amendment Act, 1977 (Act 14 of 1977) on 16 March 1977]
- [Amended by Criminal Procedure Act, 1977 (Act 51 of 1977) on 22 July 1977]
- [Amended by Abuse of dependence-producing substances and Rehabilitation Centres Act (41/1971): Amendment of Part I and Part II of the Schedule (Proclamation 277 of 1977) on 28 October 1977]
- [Amended by Native Laws Amendment Proclamation, 1979 (Proclamation AG3 of 1979) on 1 August 1978]
- [Amended by Abuse of Dependence-producing Substances and Rehabilitation Centres Amendment Act, 1987 (Act 25 of 1987) on 1 January 1986]
1. Definitions
In this Act, unless the context otherwise indicates -“Board” means the National Advisory Board on Rehabilitation Matters appointed under section 16;“children’s home” means a children’s home as defined in section 1 of the Children’s Act, 1960 (Act No. 33 of 1960);“dangerous dependence-producing drug” means any substance referred to in Part II of the Schedule to this Act;“deal in”, in relation to dependence-producing drugs or any plant from which such drugs can be manufactured, includes performing any act in connection with the collection, importation, supply, transhipment, administration, exportation, cultivation, sale, manufacture, transmission or prescription thereof;“dentist” means any person registered as a dentist under the Medical, Dental and Pharmacy Act, 1928 (Act No. 13 of 1928);[Dentists are now registered under the Medical and Dental Act 10 of 2004.]“dependence-producing drug” means any substance referred to in the Schedule to this Act;“dependence-producing substances” means dependence-producing drugs and includes alcoholic liquor;“Director” means the Director of Rehabilitation Services appointed under section 26;“hostel” means a hostel established under section 23 or deemed to be so established;“inmate” means any person who has under this Act or any other law been committed or admitted or deemed to have been so committed or admitted to any rehabilitation centre or registered rehabilitation centre, and includes any person who has been released on licence from any rehabilitation centre or registered rehabilitation centre or who has been granted leave of absence therefrom, or who is still under the control or supervision of the management of any rehabilitation centre or registered rehabilitation centre or who is liable to be brought back thereto;“magistrate” includes an additional magistrate and assistant magistrate, and in relation to any provision of this Act the administration of which has, by proclamation issued under section 53, been assigned to the Minister of Plural Relations and Development, a Commissioner, an Additional Commissioner and an Assistant Commissioner; and any reference to a magistrate’s court shall be construed accordingly;[The definition of “magistrate” is amended by AG 3 of 1979. The References to Plural Relations and Development Act 10 of 1979 (OG 4023), which came into force on 1 July 1979 (section 2 of Act 10 of 1979), provides that a reference in any law to the Minister of Plural Relations and Development shall be construed as a reference to the Minister of Co-operation and Development, without technically amending any laws.]“management” in relation to any rehabilitation centre, means the superintendent of that rehabilitation centre and the medical practitioner, psychiatrist or clinical psychologist, if any, assisting him as provided in section 27, and, in relation to any hostel, means the person in charge of such hostel, and, in relation to a registered rehabilitation centre or registered hostel, means the persons who have the management and control thereof;“manufacture”, in relation to dependence-producing drugs, includes the preparing, extraction or producing thereof;“medical practitioner” means any person registered as a medical practitioner or intern under the Medical, Dental and Pharmacy Act, 1928 (Act No. 13 of 1928);[Medical practitioners are now registered under the Medical and Dental Act 10 of 2004.]“Minister”, in relation to any provision of this Act, means the Minister to whom, or the Ministers to whom, acting in consultation with one another, the administration of that provision has been assigned by proclamation issued under section 53;“place of entertainment” includes any premises, building, dwelling, flat, room, office, shop, structure, vessel or vehicle or any part thereof used for or in connection with any dance, musical performance, singing performance, concert or show, including the exhibition of any cinematograph film or any part thereof or any picture intended for exhibition through the medium of a mechanical device, and to which admission is obtained by virtue of any consideration, whether directly or indirectly, or by virtue of any contribution to any fund or for any purpose, or by virtue of membership of any association of persons;“plant” includes any portion of a plant;“police officer” means any member of a police force established under any law;“possess” includes keeping, storing or having in custody or under control or supervision, and “possession” has a corresponding meaning;“potentially dangerous dependence-producing drug” means any substance referred to in Part III of the Schedule to this Act;“prescribed” means prescribed by regulation or rule made or prescribed under this Act;“prohibited dependence-producing drug” means any drug referred to in Part I of the Schedule to this Act;“reform school” means a reform school as defined by section 1 of the Children’s Act, 1960;“registered hostel” means a hostel registered under section 24;“registered rehabilitation centre” means a rehabilitation centre registered under section 21;“regulation” means any regulation made and in force under this Act;“rehabilitation centre” means a rehabilitation centre established or deemed to have been established under section 18;[definition of “rehabilitation centre” inserted by Act 80 of 1973]“Republic” includes the territory;“rule” means a rule prescribed by a management under any power conferred upon it by regulation;“school of industries” means a school as defined in section 1 of the Children’s Act, 1960;“Secretary” or “other senior officer”, in relation to any provision of this Act, means the head or any other senior officer of the Department of State administered by the Minister to whom the administration of that provision has been assigned by proclamation issued under section 53;“sell”, in relation to dependence-producing drugs or any plant from which such drugs can be manufactured, includes offering, advertising, possessing or exposing for sale, disposing, whether for consideration or otherwise, and exchange, and “sale” has a corresponding meaning;“social worker” means a person registered as a social worker under section 33 of the National Welfare Act, 1965 (Act No. 79 of 1965), and who is in the employ of the State or, for the purposes of sections 29(1), 29(2)(a), 30(4)(a), 31(1)(a), 31(2), 31(3) and 41(2) only, a welfare organization registered under section 19 of the said Act;[The definition of “social worker” is inserted by Act 14 of 1977. Social workers are now registered under the Social Work and Psychology Act 6 of 2004.][definition of “social welfare officer” deleted by Act 14 of 1977]“superintendent” means the head of a rehabilitation centre;“territory” means the territory of South-West Africa;“this Act” includes the regulations;“veterinarian” means any person registered as a veterinarian under the Veterinary Act, 1933 (Act No. 16 of 1933).[Veterinarians are now registered under the Veterinary and Veterinary Para-Professions Act 1 of 2013.]Chapter I
Dependence-Producing Drugs
2. Dealing in, use or possession of prohibited or dangerous dependence-producing drugs prohibited
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any law contained, any person -2A. ***
[section 2A inserted by Act 80 of 1973 and deleted by Act 25 of 1987]3. Dealing in, use or possession of potentially dangerous dependence-producing drugs prohibited
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any law contained, any person -4. Saving
The provisions of this Act relating to dangerous dependence-producing drugs or potentially dangerous dependence-producing drugs, shall not affect the provisions of the Medical, Dental and Pharmacy Act, 1928 (Act No. 13 of 1928), or any other Act, in relation to any substances regarded for the purposes of the Medical, Dental and Pharmacy Act, 1928, or any other Act, as habit-forming drugs or potentially harmful drugs and which are regarded for the purposes of this Act as dangerous dependence-producing drugs or potentially dangerous dependence-producing drugs.[The Medical, Dental and Pharmacy Act 13 of 1928 was modified and extended to South West Africa by SA Proclamation 3 of 1929 (SA GG 1749 and OG 301). It was repealed, with the exception of sections 83 and 83bis, by the Medical, Dental and Supplementary Health Service Professions Act 56 of 1974 (RSA GG 4445), which was brought into force on 21 February 1975 by RSA Proc. R.52/1975 (RSA GG 4594) and was made explicitly applicable to South West Africa (section 65). The two remaining sections of the Act were repealed in South Africa by the Health Act 63 of 1977 (RSA GG 5558), which was brought into force in relevant part on 1 September 1977 by RSA Proc. R.175/1977 (RSA GG 5716). That Act was not made explicitly applicable to South West Africa, but probably applied by virtue of the statement in section 99 of Act 13 of 1928 that, once the Act was applied to South West Africa, the “territory shall, for all purposes of this Act, be deemed to be a province of the Union”. All of the repeals took place prior to the relevant date of transfer of administration to South West Africa, as Act 13 of 1928 would have fallen under the Executive Powers (Health) Transfer Proclamation, AG 14 of 1977, dated 1 December 1977. The relevant law for the purposes contemplated in this section would now be the Medicines and Related Substances Control Act 13 of 2003, which has replaced the Medicines and Related Substances Control Act 101 of 1965 (RSA). However, the Schedules of the Medicines and Related Substances Act 101 of 1965(RSA)continue to apply until the Minister publishes a notice in the Gazette in terms of section 29(1) of Act 13 of 2003.]4A. ***
[section 4A inserted by Act 80 of 1973 and deleted by Act 14 of 1977]5. Certain persons entitled to possess, administer or use certain dependence-producing drugs
Any person to whom or on whose behalf any dangerous dependence-producing drug or potentially dangerous dependence-producing drug has been sold or supplied in terms of a written prescription of a medical practitioner, dentist or veterinarian, may possess such drug and administer such drug to any person referred to in the said prescription or to any animal in respect of which the prescription has been issued or, if the prescription has been issued in respect of himself, use such drug.6. Duty of certain persons to report to police certain information
7. ***
[section 7 deleted by Act 25 of 1987]8. Forfeiture
9. Power of court to cancel certain licences
When any person is convicted of a contravention of section 6, the court convicting such person may cancel any licence, issued in terms of any law, which relates to the place of entertainment concerned and of which such person was the holder at the time when such contravention occurred.10. Presumptions
11. Powers of police
12. Removal of convicted persons from the Republic
If any person who is not a South African citizen by birth or descent is convicted of an offence under section 2(a) or (c) or section 6 and is deemed by the Minister to be an undesirable inhabitant of the Republic, such person shall for the purposes of the Admission of Persons to the Union Regulation Act, 1913 (Act No. 22 of 1913), be deemed in terms of section 22 of the said Act to be an undesirable inhabitant of the Republic, and section 6(2) and (3) of the said Act shall also apply mutatis mutandis in respect of his removal from the Republic.[The Admission of Persons to the Union Regulation Act 22 of 1913 is not in force in Namibia. The analogous law is the Immigration Control Act 7 of 1993.][The relevant transfer proclamations excluded section 12 from the operation of section 3(1) of the Executive Powers Transfer (General Provisions) Proclamation, AG 7 of 1977, meaning that prior to Namibian independence, the administration of this section was not transferred to South West Africa and the terms used in this section retained the definitions given to them in section 1.]13. Detention of persons for interrogation under warrant issued by a magistrate
14. Jurisdiction
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any law contained, a magistrate’s court shall have jurisdiction to impose any sentence prescribed by section 2, 3 or 6.15. State President may add to or amend Schedule
The State President may from time to time, after the Minister of Health has consulted with the Drugs Control Council established by section 2 of the Drugs Control Act, 1965 (Act No. 101 of 1965), declare by proclamation in the Gazette any substance to be a dependence-producing drug, and by such proclamation may add that dependence-producing drug to the Schedule to this Act or delete any dependence-producing drug referred to in that Schedule or otherwise amend the said Schedule.[The Drugs Control Act 101 of 1965, which was re-named the Medicines and Related Substances Control Act in 1974, has been replaced by the Medicines and Related Substances Control Act 13 of 2003. However, the Schedules of the Medicines and Related Substances Act 101 of 1965 continue to apply until the Minister publishes a notice in the Gazette in terms of section 29(1) of Act 13 of 2003.]Chapter II
National Advisory Board on Rehabilitation Matters
16. Establishment and functions of National Advisory Board on Rehabilitation Matters
17. Powers and functions of the National Advisory Board on Rehabilitation Matters
The Board -Chapter III
Rehabilitation
18. Establishment of rehabilitation centres
19. Purposes for which persons are detained in rehabilitation centres
The inmates of a rehabilitation centre shall be detained therein for the purpose of receiving or undergoing such treatment, including any training, and to perform such work as the Director may in consultation with the management and with approval of the Secretary from time to time determine, either generally or in a particular case.20. Abolition of rehabilitation centre
The Minister may at any time abolish a rehabilitation centre.21. Registration of certain institutions
22. Classification of rehabilitation centres and classification and separation of inmates
In order to provide treatment and training suitable to the needs and requirements of particular groups of inmates, the Director may, in consultation with the Secretary, classify rehabilitation centres under different categories or divisions, and shall provide for the classification and separation of different groups of inmates within a particular rehabilitation centre.23. Establishment of hostels
24. Registration of hostels
25. Inspection of rehabilitation centres, registered rehabilitation centres, hostels, registered hostels etc.
26. Director of Rehabilitation Services
27. Staff of rehabilitation centres and hostels
28. Financial aid for certain institutions and associations of persons
29. Procedure for bringing persons eligible for admission to a rehabilitation centre etc., before a magistrate
30. Committal of persons to rehabilitation centre or registered rehabilitation centre after enquiry
31. Postponement of order
32. Temporary custody of persons pending enquiry or removal to rehabilitation centre or registered rehabilitation centre
33. Appeals against and review of certain orders
The law relating to appeals and any form of review in criminal cases shall mutatis mutandis apply in respect of any order made under section 30, 31 or 32 as if such order were a sentence passed by a magistrate’s court in a criminal case.34. Detention in rehabilitation centre or registered rehabilitation centre
35. Transfer of inmates from and to rehabilitation centres and registered rehabilitation centres
36. Transfer of persons from prison to rehabilitation centre
37. Retransfer from rehabilitation centre to prison
38. Transfer of persons from children’s home, school of industries or reform school to rehabilitation centre or registered rehabilitation centre
39. Retransfer from rehabilitation centre or registered rehabilitation centre to children’s home, school of industries or reform school
40. Leave of absence from rehabilitation centre or registered rehabilitation centre
The management of a rehabilitation centre or registered rehabilitation centre may grant to any inmate leave of absence therefrom for such periods and on such conditions as may be prescribed, and may at any time revoke such leave and direct the inmate to return to the rehabilitation centre or registered rehabilitation centre, as the case may be.41. Inmate of rehabilitation centre or registered rehabilitation centre may be released on licence
42. Revocation of licence
43. Method of dealing with absconders from rehabilitation centre or registered rehabilitation centre
44. Admission of voluntary inmate to rehabilitation centre or registered rehabilitation centre
45. Payment of allowances to inmates of rehabilitation centres
46. Inmates to have access to management and vice versa
The inmates of a rehabilitation centre or registered rehabilitation centre shall, subject to the prescribed conditions, have the right of personal access to the management, and the management concerned shall likewise have a similar right of access to the inmates.47. Maintenance of discipline in rehabilitation centres and registered rehabilitation centres
48. Estimating of age of person
Chapter IV
General
49. Witnesses from rehabilitation centre or registered rehabilitation centre
The provisions of section 216 of the Criminal Procedure Act, 1955 (Act No. 56 of 1955), relating to prisoners shall mutatis mutandis apply with reference to an inmate of any rehabilitation centre or registered rehabilitation centre.[The Criminal Procedure Act 56 of 1955 was never applicable to South West Africa. The South West African equivalent was the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Proclamation 30 of 1935, which was replaced by the Criminal Procedure Ordinance 34 of 1963, which, with the exception of sections 300(3) and 370, has been replaced by the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977.]50. Admission to rehabilitation centre or registered rehabilitation centre of persons from territories outside the Republic
51. Delegation of Secretary’s and Director’s powers
52. Regulations
53. Administration ofAct
63. Repeal of laws
64. Application of Act in South-West Africa
This Act and any amendment thereof shall apply also in the territory, including the Eastern Caprivi Zipfel.65. Short title and commencement
This Act shall be called the Abuse of Dependence-producing Substances and Rehabilitation Centres Act, 1971, and shall come into operation on a date to be fixed by the State President by proclamation in the Gazette, and different dates may be so fixed in respect of different provisions thereof.History of this document
01 January 1986 this version
01 August 1978
Amended by
Native Laws Amendment Proclamation, 1979
22 July 1977
Amended by
Criminal Procedure Act, 1977
16 March 1977
05 November 1976
30 July 1976
20 February 1976
30 November 1975
21 February 1975
06 July 1973
19 November 1972
25 February 1972
06 December 1971
17 May 1971
Assented to
Cited documents 2
Act 2
1. | Magistrates' Courts Act, 1944 | 988 citations |
2. | National Welfare Act, 1965 | 459 citations |
Documents citing this one 191
Judgment 137
Gazette 31
Act 15
1. | Criminal Procedure Act, 1977 | 1945 citations |
2. | Immigration Control Act, 1993 | 257 citations |
3. | Medical and Dental Act, 2004 | 176 citations |
4. | Allied Health Professions Act, 2004 | 134 citations |
5. | Mental Health Act, 1973 | 99 citations |
6. | Social Work and Psychology Act, 2004 | 94 citations |
7. | Pharmacy Act, 2004 | 83 citations |
8. | Nursing Act, 2004 | 80 citations |
9. | Civil Aviation Act, 2016 | 34 citations |
10. | Veterinary and Veterinary Para-Professions Act, 2013 | 28 citations |
Proclamation 4
Government Notice 3
1. | General Regulations relating to Namibian Defence Force, 2010 | |
2. | Public Health COVID-19 General Regulations | |
3. | Public Health COVID-19 General Regulations |
Law Reform Report 1
1. | Report on the Repeal of Obsolete Laws |