A new Statistics South Africa national survey has revealed a significant shift in how South Africans engage with the justice system, with a striking number choosing to represent themselves in court — and reporting high levels of satisfaction with the experience.
The Governance, Public Safety and Justice Survey 2024/2025, released by Statistics South Africa, provides a detailed look at citizens’ interactions with the country’s courts.
The data shows that in the 2024/2025 period, 62.7% of litigants opted to represent themselves.
While this marks a decrease from 69.3% in 2018/19, it still indicates that the majority of South Africans are navigating the legal system on their own.
This trend coincides with a notable surge in satisfaction among those who choose this path.
The report shows that satisfaction levels among self-representing litigants rose sharply, from 86.1% in 2018/19 to 92.9% in the latest survey.
This growing confidence suggests that many South Africans feel capable of handling their legal matters directly.
Accessibility of court proceedings
The survey, which is in line with the Sustainable Development Goal indicators for access to justice, found that less than 5% of South Africans aged 16 and older went to court during the time period.
The reasons for these visits are changing. For example, the number of people bringing charges or litigants has gone up from 16.6% in 2018/19 to 22%.
Support for family or friends, while still common, declined, and attendance for civil cases like divorce or custody has shown an upward trend.
A key factor enabling self-representation is the accessibility of court proceedings, but those who hired a private lawyer to represent them still reported the highest satisfaction rate at 94.8%, with those who opted for self-representation a close second at 92.9%.
Satisfaction with Legal Aid South Africa representation also remained high. Conversely, paralegal officials’ representation recorded the lowest satisfaction (75%).
Sentences appropriate to the crime
The survey also shed light on broader public attitudes toward the justice system. Physically accessing courts is not a major barrier for most, with about 61% of households reporting that it takes them less than 30 minutes to reach a magistrate’s court.
In terms of perception, 44.8% of respondents were satisfied with how courts handle offenders, believing that “sentences are appropriate to the crime”.
However, conversations about the justice system remain limited within homes, with more than 40% of household heads saying they never discuss court-related matters with family or friends — a pattern that has remained unchanged since 2018/19.
The findings paint a picture of a justice system in which a significant portion of the public is increasingly willing and content to act as their own advocate.
This growing comfort with self-representation highlights a shifting dynamic in how South Africans access and experience justice, suggesting a move toward greater personal agency within the legal landscape.
