The active role of South Africa’s Constitutional Court in advancing women’s rights and proprietary interests in the customary law of marriage

Abstract

This contribution investigates the role of the Constitutional Court in advancing and promoting women’s rights and proprietary interests in the customary law of marriage. This entails a critical discussion of a number of seminal cases decided by the court in the last couple of years, presented in chronological order. These cases are Gumede v President of the Republic of South Africa, Ramuhovhi v President of the Republic of South Africa and Sithole v Sithole. All these cases have shifted the traditional customary law proprietary rights and interests of women in monogamous and polygamous customary marriages. In Gumede the Constitutional Court did not make a decision on s 7(1) of the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act 120 of 1998 and its application in the context of polygamous customary marriages, preferring to refer the issue to the legislature. Therefore, this contribution also briefly considers the notion of judicial deference. The Recognition of Customary Marriages Amendment Act is also briefly considered as it was intended to give practical effect to the court’s decisions in Gumede and Ramuhovhi; however, the Amendment Act still fails to provide much-needed practical guidelines. Xitsonga: Vuhoxaxandla lebyi byi lavisisa xiave xa Khoto ya Vumbiwa eka ku antswisa na ku kondletela timfanelo ta vavasati na mitsakelo ya vun’wini bya nhundzu eka nawu wa xintu wa vukati. Leswi swi khumba nkanelo wa vukhensivusoli wa milandzu leyi nga na nhlohlotelo yo tala leyi bohiweke hi khoto eka malembe mangarimangani lama nga hundza, leyi andlariweke hi ku landzelelana. Milandzu leyi i Gumede loko a tengisana na Phuresidente wa Rhiphabuliki ya Afrika-Dzonga, Ramuhovhi loko a tengisana na Phuresidente wa Rhiphabuliki ya Afrika-Dzonga na Sithole loko a tengisana Sithole. Milandzu leyi hinkwayo yi cincile timfanelo na mitsakelo swa vun’wini bya nhundzu bya nawu wa xintu xa ndhavuko swa vavasati eka vukati bya xintu bya nuna un’we na nsati un’we na vukati bya tshengwe. Eka Gumede Khoto ya Vumbiwa a yi tekangi xiboho hi mayelana na xiyenge xa 7(1) xa Nawu wa ku Tekeriwa Enhlokweni ka Vukati bya Xintu wa 120 wa 1998 na matirhiselo ya wona eka mbangu wa vukati bya xintu bya tshengwe, yi hlawule ku kongomisa mhaka leyi eka huvo yo endla milawu. Hikokwalaho, vuhoxaxandla lebyi byi tlhela byi tekela enhlokweni mhaka ya ku tshikela rhavi rin’wana leri nga enawini matimba ya vuavanyisi. Nawu wa Hundzuluxo wa ku Tekeriwa Enhlokweni ka Vukati bya Xintu wu tlhela wu langutisisa hi ku komisa tanihileswi wu endleriweke ku humelerisa hi ndlela yo endla swiboho swa khoto eka Gumede na Ramuhovhi; hambiswiritano, Nawu wa Hundzuluxo wa ha hluleka ku nyika swiletelo swo endla leswi dingiwaka swinene.