3 March 1973
South Africa was a founding member of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in Wild Fauna and Flora, known as the CITES Treaty. This convention was adopted on 3 March 1973, but only came into force on the 1 July 1975. The objective of this treaty was to protect endangered species against over-exploitation by means of regulations in terms of imports and exports and prohibiting the trade in some cases.
References

PAWB, Convention on the International trade in endangered species of wild Fauna and Flora, from Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau, [online], Available at www.pawb.gov.ph [Accessed: 22 February 2010]|DIRC RSA, Convention on the International trade in endangered species of wild Fauna and Flora, from Department of International Relations & Cooperation, [online], Available at dfa.gov.za [Accessed: 22 February 2010]