International Legal Obligations

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Country Reports

Most Conventions have stipulated within them a requirement that States Parties submit regular reports to the Committee on the legislative, judicial, administrative, policy or other measures which they have adopted, and which give effect to the provisions of the treaty. The international obligation to report on treaty-obligations is an important responsibility as it evidences the country’s commitment to the global effort to protect and promote human rights. However this requires that a state have in place legislative, administrative and other measures which are in line with and in promotion of the norms of the specific treaty the country has aligned itself to. In adhering to the regular reporting schedule required by the International UN bodies a country then gets the opportunity to assess its compliance or lack thereof with its international obligations through the drafting of the country report.

Country reporting is an important obligation in that it evidences the country’s commitment to human rights and it also serves as a moderating tool to assess the country’s compliance with its international obligations and how far it has progressed in implementing human rights.

All country reports are in PDF format.

• Concluding Observations and Recommendations on the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) issued by the Committee in May 2019
  The Committee against Torture considered the second periodic report of South Africa CAT/C/ZAF/2) at its 1730th and 1733rd meetings, held on 30 April and 1 May 2019 (CAT/C/SR.1730 and CAT/C/SR.1733), and adopted the following concluding observations at its 1750th meeting (CAT/C/SR.1750) held on 14 May 2019.
• Concluding Observations and Recommendations on the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) issued by the Committee in October 2018
  The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights considered the initial report of South Africa on the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (E/C.12/ZAF/1) at its 42nd, 43rd and 44th meetings (E/C.12/2018/SR.42, 43 and 44) held on 2nd and 3rd October 2018. It adopted the following concluding observations at its 58th meeting, held on 12 October 2018.
• Concluding Observations and Recommendations on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) issued by the Committee in April 2016
  The Committee considered the initial report of South Africa (CCPR/C/ZAF/1) at its 3234th and 3235th meetings (CCPR/C/SR.3234 and 3235), held on 7 and 8 March 2016. At its 3258th meeting, held on 23 March 2016, it adopted the present concluding observations.
• International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discriminations (ICERD) 2012
  • Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination: Concluding observations on the combined fourth to eighth periodic reports of South Africa Report [2017]. South Africa’s 4th-8th periodic reports on the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) were reviewed by the UN in August 2016. Part of the outcomes of the review were recommendations, in the form of concluding observations.
• African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR)
• South Africa's country report to the Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review Mechanism (UPR), 2008

Treaties and Bilateral agreements

• UN Human Rights Treaties ratified/ signed/ acceded to
• Bilateral agreements signed by South Africa between 01/01/1994 until 15/04/2011

MLA Agreements

• Extradition and Mutual Legal Assistance in criminal matters treaties

Ratifications

• The ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture and Other cruel, Inhuman or degrading Treatment and or Punishment (OPCAT) in terms of section 231(2) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act (Act no 108 of 1996). The optional protocol focuses entirely on the prevention of torture and ill-treatment in places of detention through the establishment of mechanisms which will undertake site visits to places of detention in order to prevent and eradicate torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.