ENGAGED LESBIAN COUPLE HUMILIATED BY HOME AFFAIRS
A Johannesburg lesbian couple have been humiliated after they were refused their right to get married at a Home Affairs office.
Three weeks ago, Corrie van den Berg and her partner Patrys Koen went to the Department of Home Affairs in Alberton to make an appointment to tie the knot.
But what should have been an exciting and happy experience turned out to be a disappointing and demeaning one.
“We were asked to fill out a form to make the appointment. We then were told to take it to a man who said for us to sit down, and he looked at the form,” van den Berg told Mambaonline.
“He didn’t introduce himself, and then he just said ‘we don’t do same-sex marriages here.'”
According to van den Berg, he instead referred the couple to the Edenvale office.
“He didn’t even explain why they don’t do it there.” Embarrassed, the couple “just got up and left.” Van den Berg said that they were extremely hurt and angry.
“Why must we travel elsewhere to get married?” she asked. “You plan the day and set aside the time. And you walk in there and you get disappointed. I mean we are still the rainbow nation. Everybody can get married, whether you are gay or straight. We have the same rights as everybody.”
Mambaonline spoke to Home Affairs Gauteng Provincial Manager Albert Matsaung who expressed his surprise at the incident.
“Our offices conduct marriages of all kinds, and people must be treated without discrimination,” he insisted.
He asked for details of the homophobic snub, including the name of the official who turned the couple away, and promised to investigate further.
“If this is is true, that official did not do his job and we can act against that official,” Matsaung said.
Johan Meyer, Health Manager at OUT in Pretoria said that not only were the couple faced with blatant discrimination but they were also forced to deal with “feelings of rejection and of not being regarded as equal human beings, as if they are not good enough to enjoy the same rights and privileges as their heterosexual counterparts.”
He added that “LGBTI people face these kinds of feelings on a daily basis. It is yet another example of the gap between a very progressive Constitution and legislation, and the attitudes of a country’s citizens on the ground.”
This is not the first such incident in South Africa, which legalised same-sex marriage in 2006. There have been previous reports that officials at some Home Affairs offices have taken it upon themselves to reject gay couples.
In June last year, the Department of Home Affairs in Port Elizabeth refused to marry a gay couple; at least the third time it had done so in as many years.
Following intervention by the DA’s Shadow Minister of Home Affairs, Manny De Freitas, in Parliament and the Home Affairs Eastern Cape Provincial Manager, the office reportedly began offering marriage license services to same-sex couples.
Under the Civil Union Act, a marriage officer must inform the Minister “in writing” that “he or she objects on the ground of conscience, religion and belief to solemnising a civil union between persons of the same sex” in order to be exempt from doing so.
However, each office of Home Affairs must have at least one Civil Union Act marriage officer available to marry same-sex couples.
Van den berg and Koen will marry this Saturday at a church in Boksburg that performs gay marriages.
It’s just that Home Affairs in Alberton is staffed by total morons. It’s been two YEARS and we’re still waiting for documents that we applied for there. I have never seen such incompetence in my life as at that office. Take ’em down, get some people in with, I dunno, BRAINS??? If anyone knows how to get our frakking documents from those motherfrakking nerf herders, please let me know!!!
I am still shocked that the deparment of home affairs in Alberton refused to marry my sister and Patrys. I am glad that this is being investigated as this is unacceptable. I wish both of them the best of luck and happiness!!
Vanessa. Please give the best wishes from myself and my husband to both your sister and Patrys! May all the love, joy and happiness this world has to offer shower down on them until the end of their days and beyond!
We had a similar issue with the DHA when we wanted to legally change our surnames to a double barrel. First we were ridiculed because we did not do it when we first got married and then when explained why we needed to change our surname the supervisor was clearly homophobic. The matter was taken up with Albert Matsaung personally and I am happy to say that it has now been resolved. What I however don’t understand is why certain DHA offices still blatantly discriminate against LGBT people and why they are not fired. I get the impression that absolutely nothing happens to these people and they continue to get away with it.
Disgusting. Imagine if I had to enforce my own personal believes in my workplace….I will be fired after the first incident. People must remember, when you work you must conform to your companies policies and procedures. Oh but wait, in this country, every civil servant thinks they are the President of the Country, owed everything. How about doing your job that you are being paid for…..these ladies were not asking you for a favour, just to do your fucking job!
Dept home affairs is not even responding to our request to apply to register as marraige officers,it has been 2 years they dont even acknowledge your applications and that sucks
I hope they respond swiftly because if they don’t home affairs will be shamed again. Most Gov administrators fail to comply with the law…….and this kind of behaviour we will not tolerate. It is unacceptable for anyone to make their own rules. This is South Africa and there can only be one law the Constitution. They need to deal with their issues somewhere.
This is a time when we in South Africa must make sure that we do not allow this homophobic wave infect us as well. The ANC currently has a two thirds majority and can amend the constitution to take all the protection away that LGBTI currently has. Jacob Zuma is on record as saying that when he was a young man, and a gay stood before him, he would beat him down. He has never apologized for this. Our Department of Foreign Affairs have not issue one word of censure to any of the African countries adopting homophobic legislation. Home Affairs outright refuses to perform gay marriages, and it appears that nothing is done about it. Zuma and his friends stay in power, then we might once experience what it feels like to be a criminal simply because we love someone of the same sex. We cannot allow the homophobes to stay in power.
When this article broke a year ago I was angered by it and decided to write a complaint to the Department of Home Affairs and Alberton branch in specific. After my initial email on 4 April 2014 I received a response from them by 7 April stating it will be investigated and I will receive feedback. On 6 May 2014 when I had not heard anything I inquired again and received another response that they will come back to me. On 18 November 2014 I sent another email inquiry seeing as I heard NOTHING yet. Again I received a response stating it is investigated. I left it for today, 7 April 2015 which now marks a 1 year where I have not heard anything from them. This has not turned into something even worse than when I started out. Not only do I still want feedback on the Alberton branch’s blatant discrimination but I also want to now point out how they will keep you hanging for 1 year with no feedback. This is the type of service South Africans has become accustomed to…..it is disgusting to say the least! I will NOT let it go….I will be like the piranha in your drinking water….
Just an update were still married and happy. Yes life hands us some bumps now and then but we get through it. It was so so imbarresing but yes we will not be frown up on. Thank you for all the support and God bless you all