The South African law of evidence forms part of the adjectival or procedural law of that country. It is based on English common law.
There is no all-embracing statute governing the South African law of aspects: Various statutes govern various aspects of it, but the common law is the main source. The Constitution also features prominently.
All types of legal procedure look to the law of evidence to govern which facts they may receive, and how: civil and criminal trials, inquests, extraditions, commissions of inquiry, etc.
The law of evidence overlaps with other branches of procedural and substantive law. It is not vital, in the case of other branches, to decide in which branch a particular rule falls, but with evidence it can be vital, as will be understood later, when we consider the impact of English law on the South African system.