Statutes
Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997
The Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) establishes the minimum employment standards in South Africa. Enacted in 1997, it regulates working hours, overtime, leave, remuneration, and termination …
Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act 53 of 2003
The Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act (B-BBEE) promotes the participation of Black people in the South African economy. Enacted in 2003 and substantially amended in 2013, it establishes a …
Child Justice Act 75 of 2008
The Child Justice Act establishes a separate child justice system for children in conflict with the law. Enacted in 2008 and fully operational from 2010, it introduces diversion programmes, prescribes …
Children's Act 38 of 2005
The Children’s Act comprehensively reformed the law relating to the care, protection, and welfare of children in South Africa. Enacted in 2005 and fully operational from 2010, it replaces the …
Civil Union Act 17 of 2006
The Civil Union Act provides for the recognition of same-sex and opposite-sex partnerships through civil unions. Enacted in 2006 following the Constitutional Court decision in Minister of Home Affairs …
Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act 130 of 1993
The Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA) provides for compensation for employees who suffer injuries or diseases arising out of and in the course of their employment. …
Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008
The Consumer Protection Act (CPA) provides comprehensive consumer protection in South Africa. Enacted in 2008, it addresses unfair business practices, product safety, consumer rights in transactions, …
Copyright Act 98 of 1978
The Copyright Act governs the protection of copyright in literary, musical, artistic, and other creative works in South Africa. Enacted in 1978, it defines works eligible for copyright, the rights of …
Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977
The Criminal Procedure Act (CPA) governs the procedural aspects of criminal trials in South Africa. Enacted in 1977, it replaced the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act of 1917 and establishes the …
Customs and Excise Act 91 of 1964
The Customs and Excise Act governs the collection of customs and excise duties on imported and locally manufactured goods. Enacted in 1964, it establishes the South African Revenue Service’s …
Divorce Act 70 of 1979
The Divorce Act governs the dissolution of marriages in South Africa. Enacted in 1979, it replaced the Matrimonial Causes Act of 1939 and establishes the grounds for divorce, including irretrievable …
Domestic Violence Act 116 of 1998
The Domestic Violence Act provides comprehensive protection for victims of domestic violence. Enacted in 1998, it defines domestic violence broadly to include physical, sexual, emotional, verbal, …
Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (ECTA)
The Electronic Communications and Transactions Act provides the legal framework for electronic transactions, digital signatures, and cybersecurity in South Africa. Enacted in 2002, it recognizes the …
Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998
The Employment Equity Act (EEA) aims to achieve equality in the workplace by prohibiting unfair discrimination and requiring employers to implement affirmative action measures. Enacted in 1998, it …
Immigration Act 13 of 2002
The Immigration Act governs the entry, residence, and departure of foreign nationals in South Africa. Enacted in 2002, it replaced the Aliens Control Act of 1991 and provides the modern legal …
Income Tax Act 58 of 1962
The Income Tax Act is South Africa’s principal statute for the taxation of income. Enacted in 1962, it defines taxable income, prescribes tax rates, establishes allowable deductions and …
Insolvency Act 24 of 1936
The Insolvency Act governs the sequestration of the estates of insolvent natural persons in South Africa. Enacted in 1936, it provides for the declaration of insolvency, the administration of …
Intellectual Property Laws Amendment Act 28 of 2013
The Intellectual Property Laws Amendment Act amended several South African intellectual property statutes including the Patents Act, Trade Marks Act, Copyright Act, and Designs Act. Enacted in 2013, …
Law of Evidence Amendment Act 45 of 1988
The Law of Evidence Amendment Act modernized the law of evidence in South Africa by replacing common law rules with statutory provisions. Enacted in 1988, it addresses admissibility of evidence, …
Marriage Act 25 of 1961
The Marriage Act governs the solemnization and registration of civil marriages in South Africa. Enacted in 1961, it prescribes the requirements for a valid civil marriage, including notice, capacity, …
Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act 28 of 2002
The Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) provides for the management of South Africa’s mineral and petroleum resources. Enacted in 2002, it vested the custodianship of all …
Municipal Finance Management Act 56 of 2003
The Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) regulates financial management at the municipal (local government) level. Enacted in 2003, it complements the PFMA by establishing the framework for …
National Credit Act 34 of 2005
The National Credit Act (NCA) regulates the South African credit industry and provides for the protection of consumers in credit transactions. Enacted in 2005, it establishes the National Credit …
National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998 (NEMA)
The National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) provides the framework for environmental governance in South Africa. Enacted in 1998, it establishes the principles of environmental management, …
National Health Act 61 of 2003
The National Health Act provides for the establishment and governance of the national health system in South Africa. Enacted in 2003, it addresses the rights and responsibilities of patients, the …
National Water Act 36 of 1998
The National Water Act provides for the management and protection of water resources in South Africa. Enacted in 1998, it established the National Water Resource Strategy and created a licensing …
PAIA and POPIA: Access to Information and Data Protection
Introduction The Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (PAIA) and the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) are complementary statutes that give effect to constitutional …
Patents Act 57 of 1978
The Patents Act governs the grant and protection of patents in South Africa. Enacted in 1978, it defines patentable inventions, the requirements for patentability, the application and grant process, …
Pension Funds Act 24 of 1956
The Pension Funds Act regulates pension funds in South Africa. Enacted in 1956, it establishes the framework for the registration, governance, and supervision of pension funds, retirement annuity …
Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (PAIA)
The Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) implements the constitutional right of access to information held by public and private bodies. Enacted in 2000, it gives effect to section 32 of the …
Promotion of Administrative Justice Act 3 of 2000 (PAJA)
The Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (PAJA) gives effect to the constitutional right to administrative action that is lawful, reasonable, and procedurally fair. Enacted in 2000, it establishes …
Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 4 of 2000
The Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act (PEPUDA) gives effect to the constitutional prohibition on unfair discrimination. Enacted in 2000, it prohibits unfair …
Public Finance Management Act 1 of 1999
The Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) regulates financial management in national and provincial government. Enacted in 1999, it establishes the framework for budgeting, expenditure management, and …
Recognition of Customary Marriages Act 120 of 1998
The Recognition of Customary Marriages Act recognizes and regulates customary marriages in South Africa. Enacted in 1998, it gives legal force to customary marriages concluded in accordance with the …
Regulation of Interception of Communications Act 70 of 2002 (RICA)
The Regulation of Interception of Communications Act (RICA) regulates the interception of communications and the monitoring of communications in South Africa. Enacted in 2002, it provides for the …
South African Citizenship Act 88 of 1995
The South African Citizenship Act defines the categories of South African citizenship, the requirements for acquisition, and the conditions for loss of citizenship. Enacted in 1995, it provides for …
The Companies Act 71 of 2008
Introduction The Companies Act 71 of 2008 is the primary legislation governing company law in South Africa. Effective from 1 May 2011, the Act replaced the Companies Act 61 of 1973. The 2008 Act …
The Competition Act 89 of 1998
Introduction The Competition Act 89 of 1998 is the primary legislation governing competition law in South Africa. The Act prohibits restrictive practices, abuse of dominance, and regulates mergers. It …
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996
Introduction The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, is the supreme law of the Republic. Adopted by the Constitutional Assembly on 8 May 1996, certified by the Constitutional Court on …
The Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995
Introduction The Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 (LRA) is the primary legislation governing labour relations in South Africa. Enacted after the first democratic elections, the LRA replaced the …
Trade Marks Act 194 of 1993
The Trade Marks Act governs the registration and protection of trademarks in South Africa. Enacted in 1993, it provides the framework for the registration of marks used in trade or business to …
Unemployment Insurance Act 63 of 2001
The Unemployment Insurance Act provides for the payment of unemployment insurance benefits to workers who become unemployed. Enacted in 2001, it replaced the earlier Unemployment Insurance Act of …
Value-Added Tax Act 89 of 1991
The Value-Added Tax Act provides for the imposition and collection of value-added tax (VAT) in South Africa. Enacted in 1991, it replaced the General Sales Tax and introduced a comprehensive …