South Africa: New Regulations for the National Register of Sex Offenders

On 19 August 2022, the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services published new Regulations to the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 32 of 2007.

The Regulations are intended to facilitate compliance with the Act by ensuring particulars of persons who have been convicted of sexual offences are captured in the National Register of Sex Offenders, in order to prevent repeat offences and protect vulnerable persons.

The Regulations update the relevant forms and provide guidance on processes relating to inclusion of a person’s particulars in the Register. The Regulations further detail the implications of including a person’s particulars in the Register: for example, a person who has been convicted of committing a sexual offence against a vulnerable person may not be employed to work with people who are vulnerable. The Regulations also set out the circumstances for the removal of a person’s particulars from the Register.

The amended Regulations and forms can be accessed here.

Please note: The information contained in this note is for general guidance on matters of interest and does not constitute legal advice. For any enquiries, please contact us at [email protected].