Explainer: Why SA men can't take their wives' last names

Jacques Nelles

5 March 2025 | 14:30

Two couples have approached the Constitutional Court for confirmation of a declaration of constitutional invalidity. Last year, the Free State High Court declared as unconstitutional the Births and Deaths Registration Act insofar as it discriminates on the basis of gender as it prohibits husbands from assuming their wive's surnames.

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