The International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) provide a global framework for health security that mandates each country to build and maintain essential public health capacities for prevention, preparedness, detection and response to health emergencies. As a State Party to the IHR (2005), South Africa has made significant progress in implementing these regulations since they took effect in 2007. The second Joint External Evaluation (JEE) assessed South Africa's level of attainment of the IHR core capacities using the WHO IHR JEE tool version 3.0. The evaluation was conducted in September 2024 by a team of external experts with international experience in diverse technical areas, engaging with technical experts from South Africa's government bodies, academic institutions and development partners. Discussions covered 19 technical areas and were complemented by site visits at national and provincial levels, leading to the collaborative identification of priority actions.