Courts in South Africa
Superior Courts
The highest court, with final say on constitutional matters.
Hears appeals from High Courts and certain specialist courts.
Divided into provincial divisions, with general jurisdiction over their respective geographical areas.
(a) Eastern Cape Division, with its main seat in Grahamstown.
(b) Free State Division, with its main seat in Bloemfontein.
(c) Gauteng Division, with its main seat in Pretoria.
(d) KwaZulu-Natal Division, with its main seat in Pietermaritzburg.
(e) Limpopo Division, with its main seat in Polokwane.
(f) Mpumalanga Division, with its main seat in Mbombela.
(g) Northern Cape Division, with its main seat in Kimberley.
(h) North West Division, with its main seat in Mahikeng.
(i) Western Cape Division, with its main seat in Cape Town.
Part of the High Court system, serving more rural areas.
Specialist Courts
Labour Court and Labour Appeal Court
Deal with labour-related disputes.
Handles claims related to land restitution.
Sit within High Court divisions and handle tax disputes.
(a) Eastern Cape Division, with seats in Grahamstown and Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha)
(b) Free State Division, with its seat in Bloemfontein.
(c) Gauteng Division, with seats in Pretoria and Johannesburg.
(d) KwaZulu-Natal Division, with its seat in Pietermaritzburg.
(e) Northern Cape Division, with its seat in Kimberley.
(h) Western Cape Division, with its seat in Cape Town.
Hears electoral disputes.
Adjudicates competition law matters.
he CAC is a special division of the High Court and reviews decisions of the Competition Tribunal.
Deals with water-related disputes.
Lower Courts
Include district and regional courts, with varying jurisdictions.
Deal with minor civil disputes.
Address unfair discrimination and hate speech.
Specialized courts handling sexual offense cases.
Focus on juvenile justice matters.
Deal with matters involving children’s well-being.
Handle maintenance (child support) cases.
Adjudicate disputes within traditional communities.