South Africa has become the first country on the African continent to authorise marriage for gay and lesbian couples after the controversial Civil Union Bill received the final seal of approval.
The legislation, which was overwhelmingly approved by Parliament, was signed on to the statute book by Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka in her capacity as acting head of state while Thabo Mbeki attends a conference in Nigeria.
”The Bill has been signed by the acting president,” Mukoni Ratshitanga, a spokesperson in the president’s office, told the media on Thursday.
The law, which allows for civil unions to be solemnised by way of either a marriage or a civil partnership, has been widely opposed by religious groups, conservatives and traditionalists.
The government has defended the new legislation for representing a wider commitment to battle discrimination.
”In breaking with our past … we need to fight and resist all forms of discrimination and prejudice, including homophobia,” Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula told MPs earlier this month, when the Bill was passed by the National Assembly.
The government was forced to legislate on same-sex marriage after the country’s highest court, the Constitutional Court, ruled in December last year that existing laws denied gays and lesbians the same constitutional rights as heterosexual couples.
After the end of the apartheid era in 1994 a new constitution was drawn up specifically banning discrimination on the grounds of race, gender and sexual orientation.
Last year’s court ruling effectively set a December 1 deadline for the government to enact the new legislation.
Fierce criticism
It was reported on Tuesday that the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) had passed the Bill, paving the way for the President to sign the measure into law.
The legislation, intended to afford gay and lesbians couples the same legal status as married heterosexuals, had drawn fierce criticism from opposition parties as well as religious groups.
”By approving this legislation, this house is at odds with the wishes of a majority of South Africans who have overwhelmingly rejected it,” said Inkatha Freedom Party MP Jeanette Vilakazi.
The measure — approved in the National Assembly earlier this month — was opposed by most opposition parties, while the Democratic Alliance allowed its members a free vote on the issue.
Religious groups had called for both houses of Parliament to either consider revising the measure or scrapping it altogether. — AFP, Sapa