The Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, is scheduled to host a dialogue on the development of a new marriage policy for South Africa, at Constitution Hill, in Braamfontein, on Friday 30 August 2019.

The purpose of this Ministerial dialogue is to engage with thought-leaders, gender and human rights activists across various sectors and disciplines on how to mainstream equality, human dignity and non-discrimination principles in marriage legislation and practice.

Friday’s dialogue is a first in a series of consultative engagements to be held with stakeholders in a quest to modernise the nation’s marriage policy. Engagements with stakeholders will help identify key issues to be addressed by the new marriage policy and legislation. Targeted stakeholders are those playing critical roles in the solemnization, registration and dissolution of marriages.

Engagements with traditional leaders, religious leaders, academia, non-profits and government leaders are scheduled for the next two months.

The new marriage policy will inform the drafting of a single marriage Act which will replace the existing Acts. A new single marriage Act will enable South Africans of different sexual orientation, religious and cultural persuasions to conclude legal marriages that will accord with the constitutional principle of equality.

Currently, marriages in South Africa are regulated through three pieces of legislation, namely: Marriage Act 25 of 1961 (for monogamous marriage for opposite sex couples); Recognition of Customary Marriages Act 120 of 1998 (polygamous marriages for opposite sex couples) and Civil Unions Act 17 of 2006 (monogamous partnerships for both same and opposite sex couples).

Home Affairs chose August for the Ministerial dialogue on marriage policy as part of the Women’s Month programme. Accordingly, the opening dialogue will be held under the theme: “Realisation of equality, human dignity and non-discrimination values in marriage law and practice”. 

The media is invited to the Marriage Policy Dialogue as follows:

Date: Friday, 30 August 2019

Time: 09h00

Venue:  Constitution Hill precinct, 11 Kotze Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg 

Kindly RSVP with Thabo Mokgola, by 29 August 2019, on 060 962 4982 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Enquiries:

Siya Qoza, 082 898 1657 (spokesperson for the Minister of Home Affairs)
David Hlabane, 071 342 4284 (media manager for the Department of Home Affairs)

ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS