Online Desk |  1 year ago | local

The National Assembly has passed the Marriages Bill following amendments made to the proposed law by Senate in February.

Under unregistered Customary Law Unions, the amendments make it clear that a marriage officer to a proposed customary union can include questions about lobola among those required for establishing the identity and ages of the couple.

The amendments also provide that a marriage officer in a customary union cannot solemnise unions where couples had stayed together for less than five years.

The bill was initially passed in the National Assembly in 2020 but was held up in Senate after traditional leaders objected to a clause that said that payment or non-payment of a bride price could not be regarded as a barrier in solemnising marriage between two consenting adults if they satisfied other requirements of the law.