Website accessibility law

Website accessibility law in South Africa

South Africa has no national web accessibility law. The Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act bans unfair discrimination on grounds of disability, and claims go to the Equality Courts.

Low exposure for private websites. No website law; claims would be argued case by case under the general equality law.

Quick answers

Does website accessibility law apply to my business in South Africa?
Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act (Act 4 of 2000) applies to: Everyone, including businesses.
What accessibility standard must a website meet in South Africa?
None set for websites.
How is website accessibility enforced in South Africa?
Equality Courts and the South African Human Rights Commission.
What are the penalties for an inaccessible website in South Africa?
Remedies decided case by case.

The laws

Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act

Act 4 of 2000

Who is covered
Everyone, including businesses.
Standard
None set for websites.
Enforcement
Equality Courts and the South African Human Rights Commission.
What it can cost
Remedies decided case by case.
Key dates
In force.
Impact on your website
Low legal risk for private sites today.

What it means for your website

    How Jralo helps in South Africa

    • Daily checks against WCAG 2.2 A and AA with axe-core. Automated testing finds many, not all, problems.
    • A dated, independently timestamped record of what was checked and fixed, so you can show what you did and when.
    • Website Mechanic fixes problems in your code and opens a pull request for you to review.
    Start free

    Good to know

    • No court decision applying the Act to a private website was found.

    Sources

    1. PEPUDA, South African Government

    General information, checked 9 October 2026. Not legal advice. Laws, guidance and enforcement change; speak to a qualified lawyer about your situation.