Comments on: Marriage (in)equality in SA | Home Affairs Minister responds to Mambaonline

By: Zinhle Ngcobo

Zinhle Ngcobo — Sun, 04 Feb 2018 11:27:17 +0000

Hi,. My name is Zinhle Ngcobo me and my partner went to home affairs on the 4th of January 2018 to book for date and we were given 31st if January 2018. We went there in the morning around 8 cause our appointment was at 9.00, when it was our turn to be served. Mr Cele refused to assist us he said he does not do same sex marriage and he doesn’t have the Stationary. That home affairs is the one in Durban Commercial than we had to sit there for almost two hours with out an assistant. We left back home, when we arrived at home the supervisor call us she transferred us to Pintown home affairs than we were assisted by the name of Maria when we ask her if it true that at the durban commercial branch they don’t do same sex marriage she said no all home affairs does it. We have sent an Email to area manager but no one has responded to us.

By: Ash

Ash — Wed, 16 Aug 2017 04:31:44 +0000

“A marriage officer…may in writing inform the Minister that he or she objects on the ground of discriminatory conscience, discriminatory religion and discriminatory belief to solemnising a civil union between persons of the same sex, whereupon that marriage officer shall not be compelled to solemnise such civil union.” — is what she should have just come out and said.

By: Dave

Dave — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 13:15:46 +0000

Same sex couples do not enter into Civil Unions, technically anyone can get married under the Civil Union Act and when getting hitched under the act and doing so you can choose whether it’s a marriage or a civil union. There is the old ‘marriage’ act that gives straight couples the same option, but what I want to know is why hasn’t the old act been retracted since it is discriminatory and now redundant? Automatically straight couples get hitched under the old and same sex get hitched under the new but there is no reason for this, the risk here is that one day they retract the new act thus impacting only same sex couples so the sooner we get rid of the old act the better!

By: Deepak

Deepak — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 09:20:10 +0000

Once one even finds a marriage officer who will officiate the marriage, the DHA does not make it any easier for same sex couples for those that want to alter their surnames. It has been three years now, and after numerous interactions, the DHA still has my spouse’s birth surname registered as the married surname. The forms are not at all same sex friendly, and the major DHA offices we have visited do not have staff who seem adept at dealing with the sensitivities involved

By: Daniel

Daniel — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 14:25:33 +0000

Its a good that we can get married I’m in a interface relationship I love my partner a lot and would love to marry him

By: JustMe

JustMe — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 14:01:47 +0000

The editor’s comments are spot on! The minister merely contradicts herself and the alleged resolution process seems really complicated with no effect at all. Typical. If it sounds complicated it must be good. Huh! Utter rubbish While I respect the right for officials to decline solemnization of same-sex unions, then each HA Office must employ at least one person who IS willing to conduct such unions. It’s not rocket science Minister. Vacancies should be advertised with the need to fulfill the need to perform same-sex unions as a job requirement. This does not require committees, focus groups, sensitivity training, an act of parliament or changing an Act blah, blah, blah. Meantime the minister is guilty of dereliction of duty and flouting the Constitution and should be fired!!!!