The Republic of South Africa is not a signatory to the Convention of 15 November 1965 on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents in Civil or Commercial Matters, also called the Hague Service Convention.
Consequently service must be effected through alternative channels.
Service in South Africa may be effected pursuant to the Inter-American Convention on Letters Rogatory and Additional Protocol.
South Africa has 11 official languages, including South African English. Although English is the de facto primary language used in parliamentary and state discourse, documents must reasonably be understood by the defendant in order to fulfill Due Process (US) and procedural fairness (Canada) requirements.
Accordingly, if the defendant speaks a language other than English, translation may still be required.
LLS can assist you with service and can help you understand and meet the translation requirements for service of process in South Africa. Please call 1-800-755-5775 for more information.