Parliament,Thursday, 27 March 2025 – The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs today concluded the Eastern Cape leg of the public hearings on the Marriage Bill.
The Eastern Cape was the third province to host the public hearings on the Bill after Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, as part of the committee’s nationwide public consultation exercise to gather citizens’ input on the draft legislation.
Today the committee held public hearings in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality where the Marriage Bill continued to receive mixed reactions from members of the public.
Traditional leaders, representatives from the religious sector, Khoi and San communities and the LGBTQI+ were among stakeholders who made submissions to the committee today at Daku Community Hall in KwaZakhele township.
While a majority of the citizens welcomed the Bill’s objectives to consolidate all the existing marriage laws into one legislation and recognise Muslim marriages which were previously excluded, they had reservations about some sections of the draft Marriage Bill.
There is no consensus on age of consent for marriage with some arguing that the proposed 18 years was too young and must be upped to 21, while others said it was the right age for people to get married.
Religious leaders opposed to same sex marriages raised fears that they might be stripped of their marriage officer licences if they refused to conduct same sex marriages and that government officials will be forced to conduct marriages that went against their beliefs.
Other members of the community warned religious leaders against imposing their belief system on others and infringing on individuals’ right of choice
The traditional and Khoi and San leaders proposed that they be granted full marriage officer status to conduct and solemnize marriages.
Representatives from the Progressive Women Movement of South Africa questioned the bill’s silence on the practice of “ukungena” where a widow is forced to marry her late husband’s brother. They said this and “ukuthwala” or forced marriages must be outlawed and that the law must protect widows from being robbed of their inheritance by their husband’s families.
The Bill aims to consolidate the different marriage laws, which include the Marriage Act, Recognition of Customary Marriages Act and the Civil Union Act,into one inclusive legislation for all types of marriages. It will also implement a judgment of the Constitutional Court to recognise Muslims marriages which have been previously excluded from the current legislation.
The committee Chairperson Mr Mosa Chabane tanked all the people of the Eastern Cape for participating in the public hearings and making valuable inputs on the Marriage Bill.
The next province to host the public hearings on the Bill is Mpumalanga, from 4 – 6 April 2025.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON HOME AFFAIRS, MR MOSA CHABANE.
For media enquiries or interviews with the committee Chairperson, please contact:
Name:Sakhile Mokoena
Cell:081 705 2130
E-mail:smokoena@parliament.gov.za
parliament.gov.za
www.parliament.gov.za
