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The Recognition of Customary Marriages Act, 1998 (Act No. 120 of 1998) is a South African statute in terms of which marriages performed under African customary law, including polygynous marriages, are recognised as legal marriages. It also reformed the law relating to the legal status of women in customary marriages, the financial consequences ...
This also follows from the view that, though required for marriage, the agreement for the payment of lobola is separate from the contract of marriage itself. Section 8(3) of the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act makes statutory mediation provisions applicable to customary marriages as well, but mediation may also be conducted in accordance ...
The Act originally allowed secular marriage officers to be exempted from performing same-sex marriages on the grounds of conscience, religion or belief. This provision was repealed in October 2020 by the Civil Union Amendment Act, 2020 , with exemptions expiring after a two-year transition period.
Marriage law is the body of legal specifications and requirements and other laws that regulate the initiation, continuation, and validity of marriages, an aspect of family law, that determine the validity of a marriage, and which vary considerably among countries in terms of what can and cannot be legally recognized by the state.
In terms of the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act, 1998 and the Matrimonial Property Act, 1984, the first marriage of a male with more than one wife is always considered to be in community of property. If a second marriage is entered into, the parties must enter into an antenuptial contract, which will regulate the distribution of the estate.
There are several marital property regimes which can apply to a marriage in South Africa. By default, if a couple does not sign an antenuptial contract before the marriage, they are married in community of property, which means that all of their assets and liabilities (even those acquired before the marriage) are merged into a joint estate, in which each spouse has an undivided half-share.
The type, functions, and characteristics of marriage vary from culture to culture, and can change over time. In general there are two types: civil marriage and religious marriage, and typically marriages employ a combination of both (religious marriages must often be licensed and recognized by the state, and conversely civil marriages, while not sanctioned under religious law, are nevertheless ...
According to a 2008 William & Mary Law School study, an estimated 18 percent of Zimbabwean women belong to polygamous marriages. [2] The study suggested that there may be a decrease in the incidence of polygamy in Zimbabwe due to an ever-weakening economy that would not enable men to financially support multiple partners.