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Legal Aid SA Widens Access To Legal Services

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The Legal Aid South Africa (Legal Aid SA) Means Test, used to determine if applicants qualify for legal aid, has been revised upwards to cater for increases in the Consumer Price Index. This will enable access to legal services to a wider group of people.

The changes come into effect on 1 April 2023.

Below is a summary of the new Means Test threshold. Legal Aid SA considers what applicants earn, after tax, and own:

  1. Applications for legal aid in criminal/civil cases – applicants must earn less than R8,200 per month.
  2. Applications for legal aid in civil cases where the applicant is a member of a household – applicants must earn less than R9,000 per month.
  3. If an applicant owns movable assets, they must not be worth more than R151,700.
  4. If an applicant owns immovable assets, they must not be worth more than R711,700.

In criminal cases, children continue to automatically qualify for legal aid and do not have to take the Means Test. If it is a civil case, the family of the child will need to take and pass the Means Test. Legal Aid SA looks forward to championing the rights of even more persons to access justice through the provision of independent, accessible and quality legal aid services in criminal and civil legal matters, at no cost.

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.