- New High Court jurisdiction boundaries took effect on 1 July 2026.
- Previous jurisdiction notices for Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West have been withdrawn.
- Existing court cases will continue under the previous jurisdiction rules until they are concluded.
South Africa has introduced a new nationwide framework defining the jurisdiction of the main and local seats of the High Court, replacing a patchwork of earlier determinations with a single set of jurisdictional boundaries.
Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has issued the determination under the Superior Courts Act, with the new jurisdictional framework taking effect on 1 July 2026. The minister said the determination followed consultation with the Judicial Service Commission and was made in terms of the Superior Courts Act and the Constitution.
Why this matters for the courts
The new framework withdraws previous jurisdiction notices issued for the Gauteng and North West Divisions in 2018, the Mpumalanga Division in 2019 and the Limpopo Division in 2015. The notice states that it determines the areas under jurisdiction of the main seats and determines the areas under jurisdiction of the local seats of the divisions of the High Court.
Importantly, the changes will not affect matters already before the courts. The notice provides that proceedings already instituted but not concluded before the new determination took effect must be concluded as if this notice had not been published.
New jurisdiction framework
The accompanying schedule assigns every magistrate's district and sub-district in South Africa to a designated High Court seat.
In the Eastern Cape, Makhanda remains the main seat, with Bhisho, Gqeberha and Mthatha serving as local seats. The Free State continues to fall under the Bloemfontein main seat.
In Gauteng, Pretoria remains the main seat, while Johannesburg continues as the local seat serving Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, Sedibeng and West Rand magistrates' districts. KwaZulu-Natal retains Pietermaritzburg as the main seat and Durban as the local seat.
What the new map means for provinces
Limpopo continues with Polokwane as the main seat and Thohoyandou as the local seat, while Mpumalanga retains Mbombela as the main seat and Middelburg as the local seat.
Kimberley remains the only High Court seat in the Northern Cape, while Mahikeng continues as the main seat for North West. In the Western Cape, Cape Town remains the main seat for the province.
The consolidated framework provides a single national system for determining which High Court has territorial jurisdiction over matters arising from every magistrates' district and sub-district in South Africa.
The changes are expected to provide greater certainty for litigants, legal practitioners and the administration of justice by replacing multiple jurisdictional notices with one comprehensive framework.
Get your news on the go. Click here to follow the Conviction WhatsApp channel.
