Are plastic bags banned in South Africa?
Taxed / charged
Plastic bags are legal but carry a mandatory charge or tax.
South Africa is one of 33 countries classified “Taxed / charged” for single-use plastic bags — 19% of the 171 with data.
Source
- Last checked
- 15 September 2026
- How it was classified
- Read directly from the source’s own table, without interpretation.
Nearby countries
- Botswana
- Banned Lightweight plastic bags are banned nationwide.
- Eswatini
- Banned Lightweight plastic bags are banned nationwide.
- Namibia
- Partial measures Plastic-bag bans or charges apply in some regions only.
- Zimbabwe
- Banned Lightweight plastic bags are banned nationwide.
- Mozambique
- Taxed / charged Plastic bags are legal but carry a mandatory charge or tax.
- Madagascar
- Banned Lightweight plastic bags are banned nationwide.
Other laws in South Africa
- Fur Farming
- Legal
- Cosmetic Animal Testing
- No ban
Every law in South Africa → · Which countries have banned plastic bags? →
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.