Court Ruling: Men Can Now Legally Take Their Wives’ Surname

(The Post News)– The Constitutional Court has on Thursday ruled that husbands can now legally take their wives’ surnames after marriage.This ruling examined the Births and Deaths Registration Act and its regulations, which had previously prevented husbands from assuming their wives’ last name.

In March this year, the applicants, Jana Jordaan and Henry Van Der Merwe as well as Jess Donnelly-Bornman and Andreas Nicolas Bornman turned to apex court for a confirmation of invalidity against the said section. Van Der Merwe was denied the ability to take on the last name of his wife, Jordaan, while Bornman was denied the ability to hyphenate his surname to include his wife’s surname, Donnelly. The applicants successfully challenged the said section in the Free State Division of the High Court.

In a world where outdated norms are constantly challenged, this one still raises eyebrows. Whether it is about love, equality, or just personal choice, the idea of a man adopting his partner’s surname should not feel radical — but it does.

Reactions to the Court Ruling

@lubabalosidiya said: “This idea came with a foreigner man working for human rights Commission” 

@Thokza2 added: “They must start paying for lobola to a groom’s family to realise the effect of the decision. I however do not see this gaining traction in the black community, most possibly, the other communities may take this up as challenge”.

@SizwePrime “ Courts operate with no sense of patriotism or common sense. this useless con court will help facilitate the destruction of this country in its quest to appear progressive. This ruling will be abused by foreigners who will “assume” south african surnames from fraudulent marriages.”

@bahumi_marumo commented: “Foreigners must be very happy cos they’re going to take our last names, maybe the solution is one to keep their surnames this is tiring and boring”

@Siphiwavuso asked if the Constitutional Court was sober when making this decision.

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Thembelihle Mabanga

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As a Multimedia Journalist my goal is to always produce accurate and engaging stories that keep audiences informed and aware of what is happening around them. My reporting is guided by fairness, integrity, and a commitment to public interest journalism.

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