Residents of the West Rand District Municipality in Gauteng have rejected the draft Marriage Bill, saying it brings a whole set of additional wrongs that have the potential to violate the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.
The first public hearing on the Marriage bill was held in the municipality on Tuesday.
The proposed Marriage Bill seeks to establish a unified system for all marriages in South Africa.
Supporters argue that it addresses inequalities in the current framework, which treats civil, customary, and Muslim marriages differently.
But even though the bill aims to combine different marriage laws into one inclusive legislation for all type of marriage, the Muslim community was not pleased with the Constitutional Court order.
The Department of Home Affairs was also accused of sacrificing the dignity of Muslims for convenience.
“It is strange that the government wants to continue with the idea of a single Marriage Bill when it was rejected during consultations in the past,” residents told lawmakers.
Concerns were also pointed out that South Africa boasted diverse cultures and religions, stating that a single bill cannot accommodate them all.
Moleboheng Modise-Mpya, leader of the hearing reminded the residents that the Bill is still a draft, and the public participation process is an opportunity to influence what could be added to the legislation.
Meanwhile, other Gauteng municipalities residents urged Home Affairs committee to consider increasing permissible legal age for marriage in bill, and remove the provision of a fine.
Mosa Chabane, the chairperson of the committee said: “We are confident that the residents of Gauteng meaningfully contributed to this bill and their views will be considered when the committee consider all public submissions”.
Following the end of this hearing, the committee is expected to continue with public hearings in other provinces in 2025.
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