Is khat legal in South Africa?

Illegal

Khat is illegal in South Africa as it is a protected tree.

South Africa is one of 26 countries classified “Illegal” for khat — 87% of the 30 with data. (Also searched as qat.)

Source

Taken from
Wikipedia: Khat
Last checked
7 July 2026
How it was classified
Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.

Nearby countries

Kenya
Restricted Khat is legal but its components are controlled as Class C substances.
Ethiopia
Legal Khat is legal and widely cultivated; it is one of Ethiopia's major export crops.
Yemen
Legal Khat is legal in Yemen but cultivation and sale are regulated by law.
United Arab Emirates
Illegal Khat is illegal in the UAE under federal law number 14 of 1995.
Israel
Legal Khat is legal in Israel when consumed naturally, but distillation is illegal.
Greece
Illegal Khat is classified as an illegal narcotic in Greece under Law 3459/2006.

Other laws in South Africa

Cannabis
Legal
Drinking Age
18–20
Smoking Age
18
Psilocybin Mushrooms
Illegal
E-Cigarettes
Regulated

Every law in South Africa → · Where is khat legal? →

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.