The Constitutional Court has ruled that sections of the Births and Deaths Registration Act are unconstitutional because they prevent men from taking their wives’ surnames.
Until now, only women could automatically adopt their husbands’ names, while men had to apply to Home Affairs, often unsuccessfully.
The court said this discriminates on the basis of gender and gave Parliament 24 months to fix the law. In the meantime, men and women have equal rights to assume, resume, or add a spouse’s surname.