Legally downloading and streaming your favourite free movies on the internet is not a crime in South Africa. Over the past years, we’ve seen an exponential increase in streaming and torrent websites that allow internet users to download free movies and TV shows to their laptops or computers.
It is unfortunate that many of these torrent sites violate copyright laws. However, there are some legal sites that allow users to watch TV shows, documentaries and movies without breaking the law and at no charge.
Download Movies Legally and for Free Online in South Africa
Please note that all creative content is protected by copyright laws in the United States of America. The law protects the creators’ content or work from being used without their permission. No content may be used, reproduced or published without prior written permission from the creator. The creator will be the one giving you their permission to use the content in form of licenses.
Luckily, in South Africa, a number of movie websites exist that give fans an opportunity to download free movies. Legal movie downloading websites have licenses and they open about where they get the content from. If a site doesn’t have these licenses, you should be aware that they are operating illegally.
One of the best ways to access TV shows and movies online is to subscribe and pay a fee on (VoD) Video-on-Demand host websites. Besides Showmax, Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video, there are many free legal websites that are created by file owners. Open Culture, Retrovision and Archive.org are some of the most consulted free websites where you can download or stream movies for free. However, some require a donation or a one-time royalty fee.
Risks of illegal movie downloading and streaming
Sites that provide streaming and film distribution outside of a VoD or not respecting copyright laws, are committing a serious criminal offense. Many of these illegal sites owners have been punished for copyright laws violation, with imprisonment, heavy fines and their sites shutdown. With the rise of illegal movie sites, there are now companies or people employed to track down people who download movies and TV shows illegally.
If you are found downloading illegal movies online, you could pay up to $100,000 (ZAR 1 474 140) in fines and fees.
Streaming Free Movies Online
As mentioned above, there’s a trend of streaming free movies online. You can watch your favourite TV shows and movies on MegaBox HD app for free. This Android app also allows users to download movies on their mobile devices. You also get to select a screen resolution you wish to watch your content in. There’s 360p, 720p and 1080p resolution options.
If you have unlimited internet access, you can watch movies online, download free movies, watch TV shows online and visit cartoon streaming sites to watch your favorite cartoon/anime series for free.
Free TV Streaming Online
In South Africa, you can also watch your favourite soapies or television shows online. Websites such as Viu allow South Africans to watch TV shows free online.
Conclusion
Remember it is illegal to stream or download free movies online. There are a couple of sites that list the free movies downloading websites claiming that they provide free downloads to old and new movies in full HD without you having to sign up or registration. They also claim that they provide direct download and offer downloaders with movies torrent.
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