National Environmental Management: Integrated Coastal Management Act, 2008 (No. 24 of 2008).

This Act establishes a system of integrated coastal and estuarine management in South Africa. The Act provides, within the framework of the National Environmental Management Act, for the coordinated and integrated management of the coastal zone by all spheres of government in accordance with the principles of cooperative governance.
The Act, among other things, makes provision for the definition of area and waters in the coastal zone which are afforded special protection or to which specific rules apply, provides with respect to compulsory acquisition of land for coastal zone management purposes and access to coastal areas, provides for protection and management of coastal protected areas, estuaries and coastal resources, establishes the National Coastal Committee and defines its functions and provides otherwise for the administration of the coastal zone.
The Act defines “coastal public property” and grants powers to the Minister to declare any state-owned land as coastal public property for purposes specified in this Act and to acquire private land for the purpose of declaring that land as coastal public property. It further defines, among other things, the coastal protection zone and sets out the purpose of such a zone. Each municipality shall designate coastal access land to secure public access to that coastal public property. The Minister may declare an area within the coastal zone to be a special management area and appoint a manager for each special management area.
Estuaries within the Republic must be managed in accordance with a national estuarine management protocol and estuarine management plans for each estuary. The Act further provides with respect to, among other things, competent authorities, a national coastal management programme and provincial and municipal coastal management programmes, environmental authorizations and marine and coastal pollution control including the control of discharge of effluent waters, the incineration of waste and the dumping of waste at sea.