Religious marriages have come under the spotlight at the seminar held at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) to discuss the women’s struggles for ownership of land.
The Women’s Legal Centre says while the law has fully recognised customary and same-sex marriages since 1994, religious marriages are recognised only under certain circumstances.
Seeham Samaai says such women remain vulnerable as they have no legal protection.
“At present there is a vacuum in terms of the protection of women in unregistered religious marriages, as well as domestic partnerships; it is within this vacuum that women’s constitutional rights are being violated, in that they struggle to access their right to land, housing and property at the dissolution of the marriage, also at the death of their partner.”
