Does South Africa have the death penalty?
Fully abolished
Fully abolished for all crimes.
South Africa is one of 111 countries classified “Fully abolished” for the death penalty — 57% of the 196 with data. (Also searched as capital punishment.)
Source
- Taken from
- Wikipedia: Capital punishment by country
- Last checked
- 15 September 2026
- How it was classified
- Read directly from the source’s own table, without interpretation.
Nearby countries
- Lesotho
- Retained / in use Retained in law and used.
- Botswana
- Retained / in use Retained in law and used.
- Eswatini
- Not used in practice Retained in law, but not used for at least ten years.
- Namibia
- Fully abolished Fully abolished for all crimes.
- Zimbabwe
- Abolished for ordinary crimes Abolished for ordinary crimes; retained for exceptional crimes such as those under military law.
- Mozambique
- Fully abolished Fully abolished for all crimes.
Other laws in South Africa
- School Corporal Punishment
- Banned
- Military Conscription
- No conscription
- Jury Trials
- Not used
Every law in South Africa → · Which countries have the death penalty? →
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.