The South African government’s proposal to allow women to have more than one husband has sparked widespread debate in the country.
South Africa already has one of the most liberal constitutions in the world, allowing same-sex marriage for all and polygamy for men. Gender rights activists are petitioning the government to legalize polygamous unions – women with more than one husband – in the interest of equality and choice.
Now, to make the institution of marriage more inclusive, the legalization of polyandry was put forward in a green paper published by the Department of Home Affairs.
Part of a broader move by the government to reform the country’s Marriage Act, the proposal features the country’s conservatives and some religious groups.
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Why are conservatives angry
Strongly opposing polyandry, TV personality Moses Maseleku, who has four wives, told the BBC: “It will destroy African culture. What will happen to those people’s children? How will they know their identity? Women no longer take The role of the man. It is unheard of. Would the man be expected to take his surname?”
Reverend Kenneth Mesho, leader of the African Christian Democratic Party, said that polygamy is “an accepted practice”, but polyandry is not. She said during an interview that marriages with multiple husbands may not work because “men are jealous and possessive”.
“You can imagine that when a child is born, more DNA tests will be needed to find out who the father is,” said Ganif Hendrix, leader of the Islamic al-Jamaah party.
Collis Machoko, an academic who conducted the research study on polyandry, told the BBC that the objection to the South African government’s proposal was about control.
“African societies are not ready for true equality. We don’t know what to do with women we can’t control,” Machoko said.
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what is green paper
According to a CNN report, the Home Office discussed key issues of the proposed policy change with traditional leaders, as well as human rights activists and other groups.
Ideas such as polyandry being foreign to African culture echoed and resonated with religious leaders. Human rights activists, on the other hand, submitted that “equality demands that polyandry be legally recognized as a form of marriage.”
In addition to polyandry, the Green Paper proposes to reform existing laws that allow marriages of minors and do not account for couples who change their gender and wish to remain married without divorce.
The document also proposes legal recognition of Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and Rastafarian marriages, a move welcomed by these communities.
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