Students from the University of the Witwatersrand protest over tuition fees in April 2021 after thousands were denied registration because of outstanding fees. Photo by: Edward Molopi, SERI
Public Interest Legal Services include litigation, advocacy and other methods employed by public interest legal organisations to effect change and make a positive impact on lives of vulnerable and marginalised people in South Africa.
This site is a space to find public interest legal organisations, learn about the methods they use to bring about social change, and follow the impact that these organisations have made in South Africa.
Featured Issue: Social Security
Section 27(1)(c) of the Constitution provides for the right to social security: “Everyone has the right to have access to social security, including, if they are unable to support themselves and their dependents, appropriate social assistance.”
Activists picket outside the National Department of Social Development offices in Pretoria in April 2021 calling for the extension and increase of the Social Relief of Distress Grant. Archive photo: Masego Mafata, GroundUp (CC BY-ND 4.0)
The interactive map below introduces a range of public interest legal service organisations in South Africa. Click on the menu to the left to zoom in on social justice organisations and the community advice offices in each province, or use the search to find organisations.
Click on the top-left icon on the map to expand it to full-screen, and press escape to exit full-screen.