{"id":35397,"date":"2024-05-14T13:12:57","date_gmt":"2024-05-14T11:12:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stbb.co.za\/dev2\/?p=35397"},"modified":"2024-12-08T11:30:27","modified_gmt":"2024-12-08T09:30:27","slug":"stbb-newsflash-a-new-dawn-for-muslim-marriages-historic-divorce-amendment-act-signed-into-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stbb.co.za\/dev2\/stbb-newsflash-a-new-dawn-for-muslim-marriages-historic-divorce-amendment-act-signed-into-law\/","title":{"rendered":"STBB Newsflash | A New Dawn for Muslim Marriages: Historic Divorce Amendment Act Signed into Law"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week, President Ramaphosa signed the much-awaited Divorce Amendment Act* (\u2018DAA\u2019) into law. DAA, which amends various provisions of the Divorce Act to provide for the dissolution of Muslim marriages, is a significant milestone in aligning South Africa\u2019s family law framework with the transformative objectives of the Constitution.<\/p>\n

Historically, marriages concluded under the precepts of Islamic law were not recognised by South African law. Predictably, this left spouses in such unions \u2013 particularly women \u2013 without legal recourse in the event of divorce, and subverted the interests of minor and dependent children born of Muslim marriages. The amending legislation was first tabled in Parliament in 2023 following the landmark ruling in Women\u2019s Legal Centre Trust v President of the Republic of South Africa and Others<\/em> by the Constitutional Court. In that case, the country\u2019s apex court declared sections 6, 7(3), and 9(1) of the Divorce Act \u2013 along with various provisions under the Marriage Act \u2013 unconstitutional to the extent that these provisions failed to recognise the validity of Muslim marriages which had not been formally registered as civil marriages. Specifically, the Court found that the Divorce Act violated the constitutionally enshrined rights to equality, human dignity, and access to the courts, and did not give effect to the paramountcy of the \u2018best interests of the child\u2019 standard. The Court gave Parliament 24 months to rectify these statutory defects.<\/p>\n

During parliamentary deliberations, legislators particularly criticised the infringement of the fundamental rights of women in Muslim marriages \u2013 and the children of those marriages \u2013 in the context of divorce. Against this socio-legal backdrop, DAA addresses the critical need to safeguard the interests of Muslim women and minor or dependent children of Muslim marriages in facilitating the realisation of \u2018a more just and equal society\u2019 built on inclusivity, diversity, and respect for human rights.<\/p>\n

To that end, DAA introduces various changes to the legislative regime:<\/p>\n

First, DAA expressly incorporates a definition of a \u2018Muslim marriage\u2019 as \u2018a marriage entered into or concluded in accordance with the tenets of Islam\u2019 to expand the protective reach of the Divorce Act.<\/p>\n

Second, it extends the application of the law to the dissolution of Muslim marriages by amending section 3 of the Divorce Act, which regulates the dissolution of civil marriages and provides for grounds of divorce, including the irretrievable break-down of a marriage, and the mental illness or continuous unconsciousness of a party to a marriage.<\/p>\n

Third, DAA recognises the interests of minor and dependent children born of Muslim marriages by amending sections 6(1) and (3) of the principal Act. Section 6(1)(a), which precludes a court from granting a decree of divorce unless it is satisfied that the welfare of the minor or dependent children born of a marriage is not prejudiced \u2013 in the circumstances \u2013 by its dissolution, has been extended to include minor or dependent children of Muslim marriages. Section 6(3) of the Divorce Act, which empowers a court hearing a divorce to make any order it deems fit having due regard to the maintenance of a dependent child of the marriage and the custody, guardianship of, or access to, a minor child of the marriage, is similarly widened to incorporate minor and dependent children of Muslim marriages.<\/p>\n

Fourth, it expands section 7 of the principal Act, which regulates the proprietary consequences of divorce and provides for spousal maintenance. To give effect to the Constitutional Court\u2019s ruling, DAA inserts a new subsection \u2013 section 3A \u2013 to extend the scope of the Divorce Act by providing for the redistribution of assets on the dissolution of a Muslim marriage. Significantly, it introduces an additional factor that a court must consider when adjudicating an application for the redistribution of assets in respect of marriages concluded out of community of property, namely the existence of \u2018any contract or agreement between the parties in a Muslim marriage, where the husband is a spouse in more than one Muslim marriage\u2019.<\/p>\n

Fifth, DAA amends section 9(1) of the principal Act to permit an application for the forfeiture of patrimonial benefits by one party to another on the dissolution of a Muslim marriage under the same terms as civil marriages. In these instances, the courts will consider the duration of the marriage, the specific circumstances giving rise to the breakdown of the marriage, and evidence of \u2018substantial misconduct\u2019 by either party to ultimately determine whether one party will unduly benefit if an order for forfeiture is not granted.<\/p>\n

Finally, the Divorce Act now applies to all subsisting Muslim marriages, including those which subsisted as of 15th December 2014 and were later terminated under the tenets of Islam, and in respect of which legal proceedings have been formally instituted \u2013 but not yet finalised. Signifying Parliament\u2019s reluctance to unjustifiably limit the right to freedom of religion guaranteed under section 15 of the Constitution, DAA does not interfere with the processes of Islamic divorce nor does it regulate the substantive contents of Sharia law. Accordingly, persons who are in Muslim marriages and elect to pursue a religious divorce may still do so.<\/p>\n

Although Parliament has complied with the order of the Constitutional Court in Women\u2019s Legal Centre Trust<\/em> to amend the impugned provisions of the Divorce Act, the promulgation of a single statute regulating all marriages is ongoing. With the suspension period scheduled to expire on 27th June 2024, and given the complexity of the proposed Marriage Bill, this new law is unlikely to be passed in time. The government has thus urgently applied for an extension to allow the legislative process to run its course. Indeed, the eventual passing of the Bill may precipitate further amendments to the Divorce Act.<\/p>\n

Our highly capable and experienced family law specialists have the knowledge and skill set to advise on any family law-related matter, including post-divorce and relocation disputes, variation of maintenance agreements and parenting plans, and complex proprietary disputes.<\/p>\n

For assistance, please get in touch with our experts at familylaw@stbb.co.za<\/a>.<\/p>\n

*At the time of writing, DAA had not yet been gazetted and no commencement date was announced<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last week, President Ramaphosa signed the much-awaited Divorce Amendment Act* (\u2018DAA\u2019) into law. DAA, which amends various provisions of the Divorce Act to provide for the dissolution of Muslim marriages, is a significant milestone in aligning South Africa\u2019s family law<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":364,"featured_media":34334,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[102,136,137,108],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-published-divorce-child-and-family-law","category-family-law","category-latest","category-newsflash"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSTBB Newsflash | A New Dawn for Muslim Marriages: Historic Divorce Amendment Act Signed into Law - 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