Legal Aid South Africa Act, 2014 (Act No. 39 of 2014)

Regulations

2. General policy

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(1)Legal Aid South Africa may provide legal aid in a criminal case to any accused person charged before a South African court who qualifies for legal aid in terms of these regulations.

 

(2)Legal aid is only available to natural persons for advice and for legal representation.

 

(3)Legal Aid South Africa may provide legal aid in a civil matter to—
(a)a child who is physically resident in the Republic; or
(b)a person who qualifies for legal aid in terms of these regulations, and who is —
(i)physically resident in the Republic; and
(ii)a citizen or permanent resident of the Republic.

 

(4)Legal Aid South Africa may in exceptional circumstances grant legal aid if the issues in a case are justiciable in a court of the Republic, but the legal aid applicant is not physically resident in the Republic.

 

(5)The requirement that a person must be physically resident in the Republic does not apply to cases pertaining to asylum seekers and the Hague Convention.

 

(6)The enquiry on whether or not a person is physically present in the Republic is a factual enquiry and must be conducted by Legal Aid South Africa when the legal aid applicant makes the application for legal aid: Provided that whether or not the legal aid applicant is legally entitled to be physically resident in the Republic is irrelevant and may not be taken into account.