SA Migration International

News Articles

More imams qualify as civil marriage officers

Source: Times Live, 03/06/2016

On Friday‚ 34 imams in Gauteng graduated as marriage officers‚ which
allows them to perform the ceremony in terms of the Marriage Act and
confers legal status on these unions.

The legality of these marriages will "turn the tide of injustice that
has been visited on many Muslim women and children in situations of
death and divorce"‚ said Fatima Chohan‚ the deputy minister of home
affairs.

There are now about 130 imams qualified as marriage officers around
the country‚ the Home Affairs Department said. The imams will continue
to conduct Islamic marriage ceremonies (Nikkah).

"Muslim couples have the choice to be married by imams who are enabled
to register their marriages at the Department of Home Affairs and
thereby bring legal certainty to their marriage from the outset‚" said
Chohan.

The Gauteng graduation follows similar ones in the Western Cape and
KwaZulu-Natal. Chohan has been leading the initiative to get imams
across the country to qualify as marriage officers".

Search

Latest News

... Read more...
... Read more...
... Read more...
... Read more...

If you are visiting SA or already here on a visa, take this as a public-interest warning. In 2025, a quiet, but sharp, shift has taken hold inside parts of home affairs adjudication ranks: applications are being refused almost mechanically if they were not submitted at least 60 days before visa expiry.A wave of refusals repeating near-identical wording:The applicant did not submit his/her application no less than 60 days prior to the expiry date of his/her.

The rigid application of this rule, devoid of consideration for mitigating circumstances, raises serious concerns about the fairness and legality of such administrative decisions.

... Read more...

... Read more...
... Read more...
... Read more...
... Read more...
... Read more...