A number of amendments have been made to existing marriage laws in South Africa in recent months. These changes were meant to have been implemented earlier in the year but were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting lockdown.
The Department of Home Affairs said in a presentation to parliament that they plan to introduce new policy changes that will update South Africa’s marriage laws. The policy will be drafted for public comment before the end of the 2020/2021 financial year, which will be by March 31, 2021.
The changes are all based on constitutional values and modern social dynamics, the department explained in May.
“Despite all the changes that have been made in the marriage legislation post-1994, there are still serious gaps in the current legislation. For instance, the current legislation does not regulate some religious marriages such as the Hindu, Muslim, and other customary marriages that are practised in some African or royal families,” the department said.
“Given the diversity of the South Africa population, it is virtually impossible to pass legislation governing every single religious or cultural marriage practice. It is against this background that the DHA is embarking in the process of developing a marriage policy that will lay a policy foundation for drafting a new single or omnibus legislation.”
The key updates introduced in the new policy include:
– The new Marriage Act will allow South Africans of different sexual orientations, religious and cultural persuasions to legally marry.
– New rules on the age of marriage
– Changes in marriage, matrimonial property, and divorce legislation
– solemnisation and registration of marriages that involve foreign nationals
– solemnisation and registration of customary marriages that involve non-citizens especially cross-border communities or citizens of neighbouring countries
Most recently, President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed the Civil Amendment Act of 2020, making it illegal for state marriage officers and magistrates to refuse to solemnise a civil union between same-sex couples.
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With lockdown, there has been a cancelation of many events, including weddings and their receptions. This was because of the regulations and the number of people allowed in one space. These were put in place to prevent a further spread of COVID-19.
In the midst of all that, people have been creating new ways to get married, such as holding virtual and drive-by weddings.
Some, however, have been canceling altogether. India was found to have the most reception cancelations in the world with 23% of couples only going ahead with the formal ceremony.
Indian weddings are known for their big beautiful celebrations with masses of guests.
When compiling the report, The Knot Worldwide found that three of four respondents in India said they would go ahead with the wedding ceremonies on dates planned before COVID-19 but they will not do the big, traditional celebrations they normally have in Indian weddings.
In addition, 23% of couples said they are not going ahead with a wedding reception while 48% are planning one but with health and safety measures. The report said a vast majority of couples (80%) said they would encourage social distancing, and invite-only immediate family and close friends.
The couples going ahead with their celebrations have to abide by the rules and make sure that their guests get checked, and the venues will have to be sanitised and they should ensure that everyone has a mask on at all times.
The data was compiled from a report among 9,767 couples who originally had weddings planned between October 2020 and February 2021. Another study by Knot Worldwide COVID-19 revealed that 96% of couples are not planning to cancel their weddings at this time. Instead, they are either keeping a close eye on recommendations from the CDC or postponing their dates.
To summarize the findings, 96% of couples are not canceling their weddings but postponing them until it is safe to do so, on that number, 65% of them are having a wedding ceremony but will have a wedding reception later.
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On your big day, the last thing you want to wake up to is a bright red zit on your face. Acne happens to the best of us, and, like taxes, are unavoidable.
From stress to environmental factors and not removing your makeup, there are many things that can lead to a breakout. Even getting a facial could cause your skin to react negatively as it purges all the bad toxins, which is why experts recommend getting one day before your big day.
If you do have a breakout on your big day, fear not. There are tried and tested methods to cover up these uninvited guests so that the focus is all on you.
Spot treatment
Before covering your breakout up, make sure you’ve treated it to kill off the bacteria. Going in with some tea tree oil on a Q-tip is great to clean the area.
Less is more
It may seem like the best thing to do is cover your skin up with a full coverage foundation, but this will just end up looking cakey and highlighting the texture in your skin. Instead, go in with a luminous, light to medium weight foundation. Remember to pounce the product into your skin using a beauty sponge to remove some excess product. This will create a light and even base layer to build on when you go in with your next products.
Concealer saves the day
Concealer will be your best friend. Spot conceal your breakouts using a small face brush, making sure to lightly tap over the concealer and then blend the edges to feather it out. Tapping motions around the edges is best here. You can also go in with your foundation brush afterward and use the excess product on the brush to help blend the concealer in even further.
If the breakout is quite red and inflamed, go in with a thin layer of a green-toned concealer first then layer the skin-coloured concealer over it. The green will cancel out the red tones.
Remember to set your concealer by going over spots with a setting powder.
Take out texture
If you have a particularly bumpy breakout that stands out on your face, another step is to go in with a full coverage powder foundation, like the MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation, and push the product onto the skin surrounding the breakout. This will build a more even layer that will make the breakout bump appear less severe.
Here are some amazing tutorials to help guide your way:
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Marriage is a big step, one not to be taken lightly. Before making this commitment, its important to spend time with your partner to discuss major topics that could affect your future.
While love and mutual respect is considered the most important aspects of a relationship, there are many other external factors that could affect your journey. Making sure you and your partner are open and honest with each other about various topics will help alleviate future issues.
Here are some topics to bring up before your big day:
Debt
If you have debt, it is important that your partner knows about it and how much it is. South Africans automatically marry in community of property, which means that the estates of the married couple are combined and thus debt is inherited. Property and debts acquired prior to or during the marriage are shared equally in undivided shares (50%) and spouses are jointly liable to creditors.
Children
Do you and your partner want children? If yes, how many? It is incredibly important to be on the same page with this, as bringing a child into the world is a major life decision that should not be made lightly. Some people don’t want to have kids at all, and it is unfair to persuade an unwilling partner to change their mind later on in life.
Career/education
If your partner gets an amazing job or learning opportunity that requires relocation, how will you deal with that? Are you committed to moving with them or will you be long-distance?
Religion
While you and your partner do not need to practice the same religion, the core beliefs could cause conflict if they are incredibly different. For example, if one of you is Catholic and therefore oppose abortion while the other is pro-choice, this could be an issue in the future if an unwanted pregnancy were to occur.
Sexual compatibility
Sex is a part of marriage, and when and how you choose to do it is an important discussion. Consent needs to be defined, and both partners must be aware that it is necessary every time you have sex as marital rape is illegal in the country. It is also important to have an open and honest conversation on sexual fantasies and expectations, so that partners feel comfortable expressing their desires.
Finances
Money is one of the major issues in a relationship. How will you pay for things once you are married? Will you split bills equally, or divide based on salaries? How will you save and spend your money?
Gender roles
This will impact on household duties and who does what in the relationship. For example, if one person believes women should do all the cooking and cleaning while the other believes the work should be equally divided, this could cause major resentment.
Boundaries with others
What is your partner comfortable with in regards to how you interact with people of the sex you are attracted to? For example, if they are the jealous type, you being touchy-feely with someone, even in a non-romantic way, might create tension with your partner. It is important to know what your partner’s boundaries are and to discuss it if it conflicts with your own.
Social media activity is also connected here. Some are more private than others, and don’t like to share details about their personal life on the internet while others post everything and anything.
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