Overview
Protection orders in South Africa
A protection order is a court order intended to stop specified abusive, threatening or harassing conduct. The correct next step depends on your relationship with the other person and on whether you are applying, responding or enforcing an existing order.
Which law applies?
There are two main statutory routes
The relationship between the parties is the starting point.
Domestic relationship
Domestic violence protection order
Use this route where the parties are or were in a domestic relationship and the conduct falls within the Domestic Violence Act.
Read moreNo domestic relationship
Harassment protection order
Use this route for harassment, stalking or repeated unwanted conduct where the domestic-relationship requirement is not met.
Read moreChoose your situation
What do you need to do?
What can an order do?
The terms depend on the facts and the Act
A court may prohibit contact or specified conduct and may grant other relief authorised by the applicable statute. The wording matters: enforcement begins with the actual terms of the order, not with what either party assumes it says.
Preparing an application?
Use the dedicated guides rather than trying to prepare from this overview page.
Speak to us
Tell us what has happened and what stage the matter has reached.
We assist applicants and respondents with drafting, urgent applications, return dates, opposition and enforcement across greater Durban.