Everyone, including foreign nationals, has the right to a lawyer. If you have received a Notice of Motion for your eviction, seek legal representation or advice as soon as possible. If you can’t afford a lawyer, you can request free legal representation from the State or other sources.
OpenUp has developed a mapping tool to find free legal resources closest to you. You can either enter your address or click “use my location”, and it will show on a map where you are and what resources are available closest to you. The legal resources are colour coded to show the different types of resources available so that you can find the most relevant service for your need.
Free South African Legal Resource database
If you prefer to find search through the list of resources without the aid of the map, that's fine too. On the same page, you'll find a table with filters to narrow your search. Choose your province and the type of legal resource you are interested in, and it will show you the contact details of these law clinics.
Which legal resource should I contact?
Use the following as a guide to which South African legal resource you might need to use:
South African citizen:
- Legal Aid South Africa is the main form of government-funded legal assistance available to you. If you are unable to afford a lawyer, you should contact your nearest Legal Aid SA office.
- Legal Practice Council (formerly the provincial Law Societies)
- Free law clinics (Universities and NGOs)
Non-citizens/foreign nationals:
- Non-citizens can approach the Legal Practice Council (formerly the Cape Law Society) and
- Free law clinics (Universities and NGOs)
- Refugee law clinics, if applicable (E.g. UCT Refugee Rights Unit)
Can I get free legal assistance?
Some law clinics offer pro bono (free) legal assistance. To qualify, you must meet the following criteria:
- Unemployment or limited employment - You must either be unemployed or earn less than R7 700/month after tax.
- Household income limit - If you are part of a household (2 or more people) the household must earn less than R8 400/month after tax.
- Value of your house - If you own a house, it, and all the belongings inside it, cannot be worth more than R665 800. You can only own one house, and it must be the one you are living in.
- Value of your belongings - If you DO NOT own a house, then the total value of all your belongings (for example, your car, furniture, clothes, and other personal things) must not be worth more than R141,900.
If you do NOT meet all these criteria but still can't afford to pay for a lawyer, you should still seek assistance from Legal Aid and other free law clinics, as they can make exceptions.
