Suppression of Communism Act, 1950/1966-11-04

​

as amended by

Suppression of Communism Amendment Act, No. 50 of 1951 Riotous Assemblies and Suppression of Communism Amendment Act, No. 15 of 1954 General Law Amendment Act, No. 76 of 1962 General Law Amendment Act, No. 37 of 1963 General Law Amendment Act, No. 80 of 1964 Suppression of Communism Amendment Act, No. 97 of 1965 Suppression of Communism Amendment Act, No. 8 of 1966 General Law Amendment Act, No. 62 of 1966

12. (1) If in any prosecution under this Act, or in any civil proceedings arising from the application of the provisions of this Act, in which it is alleged that any person is or was a member or active supporter of any organization, it is proved that he attended any meeting of that organization, or has advocated, advised, defended or encouraged the promotion of its purposes, or has distributed or assisted in the distribution of or caused to be distributed any periodical or other publication or document issued by, on behalf or at the instance of that organization, he shall be presumed, until the contrary is proved, to be or to have been a member or active supporter, as the case may be, of that organization.

(1)bis If in any prosecution for an offence under paragraph (d)bis of section eleven it is proved that the accused person has changed the place of his residence or employment he shall be deemed to have failed to give notice thereof as required by the said paragraph unless the contrary is proved.

(1)ter If in any prosecution for an offence under section 11 (b)ter in which it is alleged that the accused has, at any time and place outside the Republic specified in the charge, undergone, or attempted, consented or taken any steps to undergo any training so specified, it is proved that the accused had left the Republic in contravention of any provision of the Departure from the Union Regulation Act, 1955 (Act No. 34 of 1955), prior to such time, he shall be presumed until the contrary is proved beyond a reasonable doubt, to have undergone or attempted, consented or taken such steps to undergo such training at the said time and place.

(2) A person shall in any prosecution for an offence under paragraph (g) of section eleven be deemed to have convened a gathering in any place if he—

has himself, or through another person, caused written notice to be published, distributed or despatched, inviting the public, or any members of the public, to assemble at a specified time and place, or has encouraged or assisted in the publication, distribution or despatch of such a notice;

has himself, or through another person, orally invited the public or any members of the public so to assemble; or

has taken any active part in making arrangements for the publication, distribution or despatch of such a notice, or in organizing or making preparations for such an assembly.

(3) No person shall be convicted of an offence under paragraph (g) or (g)bis of section eleven, if he satisfies the court that at the time the offence was committed he had no knowledge of the prohibition concerned, unless at the said time the prohibition or particulars thereof had been notified in the Gazette.

(4) In any prosecution under this Act or in any civil proceedings arising from the application of the provisions of this Act, any document, book, record, pamphlet or other publication or written instrument—

which is proved to have been found in or removed from the possession, custody or control of the accused or any party to the proceedings or of any person who was at any time before or after the commencement of this Act an office-bearer or officer of the organization of which the accused or the said party is alleged to be or to have been an office-bearer, officer, member or active supporter and which has been declared an unlawful organization; or

which is proved to have been found in or removed from any office or other premises occupied or used at any time before or after the commencement of this Act by the organization of which the accused or the said party is alleged to be or to have been an office-bearer, officer, member or active supporter and which has been declared an unlawful organization, or by a person in his capacity as an office-bearer or officer of that organization; or

which on the face thereof has been compiled, kept, maintained, used, issued or published by or on behalf of the organization of which the accused or the said party is alleged to be or to have been an office-bearer, officer, member or active supporter and which has been declared an unlawful organization,

and any photostatic copy of any document, book, record, pamphlet, or other publication or written instrument referred to in paragraph (a), (b) or (c), shall be admissible in evidence against the accused or, as the case may be, the said party to the proceedings as prima facie proof of the contents thereof.

(5) Any list or portion of a list certified by an officer, who certifies that he has been designated by the Minister under section eight to keep in his custody the lists compiled under sub-section (10) of section four and sub-section (2) of section seven, to be a list or portion of a list in his custody under section eight, shall on its mere production in any prosecution under this Act or in any civil proceedings arising from the application of the provisions of this Act, be admissible in evidence as prima facie proof of the contents thereof.

(5)bis A certificate purporting to have been signed by the officer referred to in section eight, to the effect that a name mentioned therein appears on a list in the custody of such officer shall, if such name corresponds substantially to that of an accused person in any prosecution under this Act or to that of any party to any civil proceedings under or arising from the application of the provisions of this Act, on its mere production in such prosecution or civil proceedings, be prima facie proof of the fact that the name of such accused person or of such party, as the case may be, appears on such list.

(6) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any law or the common law contained—

whenever two or more persons are in any indictment, summons or charge alleged to have committed at the same time and place, or at the same place and at approximately the same time, offences under this Act or under this Act as applied by any other law, such persons may be tried jointly for such offences on that indictment, summons or charge;

any offence under this Act or under this Act as applied by any other law shall, for the purposes of determining the jurisdiction of a court to try the offence, be deemed to have been committed at the place where it actually was committed and also at any place where the accused happens to be.

13. (1) The court convicting any person of an offence under paragraph (e) of section eleven, may declare the property in respect of which the offence was committed, or the rights of the convicted person to such property, to be forfeited to the State: Provided that such declaration shall not affect any rights which any person other than the convicted person may have to such property, if it is proved that he did not know that it was being or would be used in contravention of the said paragraph.

(2) Section 360 (4) and (5) of the Criminal Procedure Act, 1955 (Act No. 56 of 1955), shall mutatis mutandis apply in respect of such forfeiture.

18. This Act and any amendment thereof which may be made from time to time shall apply also in the territory of South-West Africa, including the Eastern Caprivi Zipfel referred to in section 3 of the South-West Africa Affairs Amendment Act, 1951 (Act No. 55 of 1951), and in relation to all persons in that portion of the said territory known as the “Rehoboth Gebiet” and defined in the First Schedule to Proclamation No. 28 of 1923 of the said territory.

 18A. (1) For the purposes of section 18, any reference in this Act to a provision of the Criminal Procedure Act, 1955 (Act No. 56 of 1955), shall be construed as a reference to the corresponding provision of the Criminal Procedure Ordinance, 1963 (Ordinance No. 34 of 1963), of the territory of South-West Africa.

(2) For the purposes of section 11 (b)ter training which could be of use in furthering the achievement of any of the objects of communism, shall include training which could be of use in the commission of the offence of sabotage referred to in section 21 (1) of the General Law Amendment Act, 1962 (Act No. 76 of 1962).

