How to read legal citations in South Africa
South African citations show the year first, then the volume in round brackets, then the series, then the page, then the court in brackets.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Style guide: South African law reports style (Law Reports and the Pretoria University Law Press style). South African citations follow the reporter's own pattern. The Constitutional Court also uses neutral citations.
Real citations, decoded
Click or hover over any underlined piece to see what it means.
A case in the South African Law Reports Case
() ()
- Case name S v Makwanyane
'S' means The State, as in a criminal case. - Year 1995
The year of the report volume. - Volume 3
Volume number within that year, in brackets. - Series SA
South African Law Reports. - First page 391
The page where the report begins. - Court CC
Constitutional Court. Other examples: SCA (Supreme Court of Appeal) and WCC (Western Cape High Court).
The neutral citation for the same case is [1995] ZACC 3. ZA means South Africa and CC means Constitutional Court.
Full citation: S v Makwanyane 1995 (3) SA 391 (CC)A statute Statute
,
- Short title Consumer Protection Act
The Act's name. - Act number and year 68 of 2008
South African Acts carry a number and year, which is how they are cited precisely. - Section s 48
Section 48, on unfair, unreasonable or unjust contract terms.
The Constitution Constitution
,
- Instrument Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996
The country's supreme law. - Section s 9(1)
Section 9(1) says that everyone is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law.
A Constitutional Court case Case
()
- Case name Minister of Health v Treatment Action Campaign (No 2)
The parties. '(No 2)' means this was the second judgment in the case. It concerned access to antiretroviral medicine. - Law report 2002 (5) SA 721
The year, then the part number in round brackets, then the series (South African Law Reports) and the page. The year comes first and has no brackets. - Court CC
Constitutional Court.
The neutral citation is [2002] ZACC 15 (the year, the court code ZACC for the Constitutional Court of South Africa, and the number).
Full citation: Minister of Health v Treatment Action Campaign (No 2) 2002 (5) SA 721 (CC)Things to remember
- The Constitution is cited as Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, with the section number.
- ZACC, ZASCA and ZAGPJHC are neutral-citation court codes.
- SAFLII publishes judgments and statutes for free.
Where to find the text, free
To understand how courts and law fit together in South Africa, read the South Africa profile in the Legal Families Atlas.
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TheLawToKnow Tools’s citation guide is an educational overview of standard conventions. Courts and journals sometimes vary, so check the style guide before submitting or publishing. It is not legal advice. Report a mistake.
