SAFLII
SAFLII is a free web repository for searching and reading legal information, including judgments, legislation, court rules, journal articles, commission repo…
What SAFLII is
SAFLII is a free web repository for searching and reading legal information, including judgments, legislation, court rules, journal articles, commission reports, government gazettes, Rule 16A notices and court rolls. Its SINO search can cover all databases or selected ones and rank matches by relevance. Search options include words, exact phrases, legislation names, case names and document titles, with Boolean and proximity operators. Results can be sorted by relevance, date, title or database, and displayed 10, 20, 50 or 100 per page. The collection also includes legal material from other countries in the region through partnerships and links to other Legal Information Institutes; listed jurisdictions include Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique and Namibia. Selected courts and databases across several countries have RSS feeds. The free public-access service does not require login details; individual users may read, print and copy materials for personal use and other copyright-permitted uses. Its terms prohibit automated collection, including scraping, crawling, API access and bulk querying. SAFLII does not provide legal advice.
Good
- Free public access without login details.
- Searches judgments, legislation, court rules and commentary.
- Filters include exact phrases and Boolean operators.
- Results can be sorted and shown in up to 100 per page.
- RSS feeds cover selected courts and databases.
Watch out
- Automated collection, API access and bulk querying are prohibited.
- SAFLII does not offer professional or legal advice.
Who it suits
It suits legal practitioners, journalists, employers, employees, labour and human resources practitioners, and employee representatives looking for legal materials. Anyone needing advice specific to their situation should consult a suitably qualified professional.
Verdict
SAFLII brings a wide range of legal documents and search controls together in a free web service. Its regional material and broad search options are useful, but it is not a source of legal advice and its terms rule out automated collection.
Plans and prices
From SAFLII's own pricing page, checked 9 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Free public access | Free | Individual end users may read, print and copy materials for personal use and other uses permitted by copyright law · Not a subscription service; users do not need login details |
The facts
Each one read from SAFLII's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Advice limitation
- SAFLII states that it does not offer professional or legal advice and advises users needing specific advice to consult a suitably qualified professional.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Collection
- The collection includes judgments, legislation, court rules, journal articles, commission reports, government gazettes, Rule 16A notices and court rolls.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- SAFLII describes its collection as useful to legal practitioners, journalists, labour and human resources practitioners, employers, employees and employee representatives.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Organization
- SAFLII operates independently as a non-profit organization and is a registered public benefit organization.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- SAFLII is an online repository of legal information that promotes the rule of law and judicial accountability through open access.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Regional coverage
- SAFLII also hosts legal materials from other countries in the region through partnerships and links to other Legal Information Institutes.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Result views
- Search results can be sorted by relevance, date, title or database, with 10, 20, 50 or 100 results per page.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Search
- SAFLII’s SINO search supports searches across all databases or selected databases and can rank results by relevance.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Search filters
- Search options include any or all words, exact phrases, legislation names, case names and document titles, with Boolean and proximity operators available.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Source integrity
- SAFLII says it uploads only judgments received directly from courts and obtains materials such as court rules directly from government gazettes.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Updates
- SAFLII provides RSS feeds for selected courts and databases across several countries.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Use limitation
- The terms prohibit automated or programmatic collection, including scraping, crawling, API access and bulk querying, and say SAFLII may block or rate-limit violations.checked 9 Oct 2026
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