Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir's plane left South Africa on Monday, local media said, despite a court ordering him to stay as judges decide whether to order his arrest over alleged war crimes and genocide.
Bashir's reported departure was not officially confirmed after ENCA television news reporters said they had seen his plane taking off from Waterkloof military airport outside Pretoria.
A summit of African leaders in Johannesburg has been overshadowed by the International Criminal Court (ICC) call for Bashir to be detained on long-standing arrest warrants over his actions during the Darfur conflict.
On Sunday, Judge Hans Fabricius ordered authorities to stop Bashir from leaving the country, pending a decision on whether it should order his arrest. The court was due to reconvene at 11:30 am (0930 GMT) on Monday.
Earlier a member of Bashir's delegation brushed aside the court case, telling AFP that "President Bashir... will leave today."
The Southern African Litigation Centre, a legal rights group, had launched an urgent application in the Pretoria High Court to force the authorities to arrest Bashir.
South Africa is a signatory of the ICC, which has often been criticised for only targeting Africa leaders.
At the summit, Bashir attended a group photograph on Sunday along with South African host President Jacob Zuma and Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, who is the chair of the 54-member group.
Monday is the closing day of the summit.