By Zuko Komisa
- Registering customary unions guarantees legal proof of marriage and secures critical matrimonial property rights.
- The Department of Home Affairs is urging couples to register before the 31 August 2026 deadline to avoid severe legal complications.
- Official registration protects surviving spouses, particularly women from traumatic posthumous family disputes and asset loss.
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has issued an urgent call for couples in unregistered customary unions to officialise their marriages before the 31 August 2026 deadline.
Department officials emphasized that failing to register leaves couples and particularly surviving spouses exposed to devastating financial and legal disputes if one partner passes away without legal proof of the union.
Without official recognition under the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act of 1998, surviving partners often struggle to prove a marriage existed. This leaves estates vulnerable to challenges from extended family members and complicates everyday parental consent matters, such as applying for minor children’s passports.
Highlighting the severe consequences women face when unions remain unrecorded, DHA Deputy Director-General of Operations Thulani Mavuso noted:
“In most instances, women suffer if those marriages are not registered, and all the assets that belong to them in the marriage end up in the hands of the wrong people, be it the family of the husband or vice versa.”
The registration process itself is straightforward, requiring evidence of customary practices such as proof of lobola negotiations or a ceremony alongside witnessing family members.
While Home Affairs will not outright reject applications submitted after 31 August, registering before the extended ministerial window closes ensures unions are fully protected under the law, sparing families from costly court litigation and administrative heartache down the line.
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