Case law search · South Africa
Search South African case law with AI
Describe the issue in plain language, name a section of an Act, or give a case name. LegalBrain searches South African legal sources for the relevant judgments, reads them and explains what they decided, with a link to each judgment so you can read it yourself.
It is a research assistant, not a case database: it finds and links judgments that are published online, mainly on SAFLII and the South African Law Library.
Ways to search
- By issue: “When is an omission wrongful in delict?” or “Can a landlord cut off electricity to evict a tenant?”
- By provision: “Cases on section 36 of the Constitution and the limitation of rights.”
- By case: “What did the court decide in Kruger v Coetzee, and is the test still followed?”
- By court: “Recent Constitutional Court judgments on the right of access to housing.”
Where the judgments come from
By default the search is limited to authoritative South African sources, including SAFLII, the South African Law Library (Laws.Africa), gov.za and the Government Gazette, the Constitutional Court, the judiciary, Parliament, the CCMA, the SA Law Reform Commission and open-access South African law journals. Many older Appellate Division judgments are not published online; where a case is only available through later judgments that quote it, the memo should say so.
Before you cite a case
- Open the judgment and read the relevant part yourself.
- Check the court and its place in the hierarchy, and whether the case binds your court.
- Check that it has not been overturned on appeal or departed from in a later case.
- Use the full, correct citation from the judgment itself.
Questions
How do I search South African case law?
Ask LegalBrain in plain language, by issue, section or case name. It searches South African sources such as SAFLII, explains the relevant judgments and links to each one.
Is SAFLII free?
Yes. SAFLII publishes many South African judgments and Acts free online. LegalBrain searches it, along with other South African sources, and links you to the judgment.
Can AI find every relevant case?
No search is guaranteed to find every case, and some older judgments are not online. Treat the results as a starting point and check the authorities yourself.
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