Regulation stifles lift-off of drones in SA
Drone entrepreneurs complain that regulation procedures in SA take far too long and are needlessly prohibitive
It was a story that captured the world’s imagination — emergency blood supplies delivered to remote locations in Rwanda by drone. A joint initiative between the government and a technology company called Zipline used drones to overcome delivery problems and save lives. The 2018 story prompted renewed interest in the application of remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) or drones. SA operators say this particular success story relies on a specific set of conditions which wouldn’t apply here, but the consensus seems to be that red tape is holding the industry back, limiting experimentation towards innovative uses. In this country, drones are used commercially for surveying and data collection in mining, agriculture, property and construction — plus image and video processing. This is managed by the SA Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which requires commercial operators to have a remote operator certificate (ROC) and a licence for each pilot and each drone. To qualify for the ROC, companies mu...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.