{"id":29136,"date":"2025-09-15T11:25:18","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T09:25:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/?p=29136"},"modified":"2026-03-12T09:51:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T07:51:20","slug":"men-can-legally-take-wifes-surname","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/men-can-legally-take-wifes-surname\/","title":{"rendered":"SA Court Rules Men Can Legally Take Wife\u2019s Surname"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>South Africa\u2019s Constitutional Court has ruled that men can legally take their wife\u2019s surname after marriage. The Court struck down provisions of the Births and Deaths Registration Act that only allowed women to assume their husband\u2019s surname.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-the-case-matters\">Why the Case Matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The ruling promotes gender equality by removing laws rooted in colonial and apartheid-era customs. It allows men to take their wife\u2019s surname or create a hyphenated surname.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Apply for your Smart ID online through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/smart-id-online-application-ehome-affairs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Smart ID Online Application \u2013 eHome Affairs<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-3113220199\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-couples-who-challenged-the-law\">Couples Who Challenged the Law<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Two couples challenged the outdated provisions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Henry van der Merwe wanted to adopt his wife Jana Jordaan\u2019s surname.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Andreas Nicolas Bornman sought to hyphenate his surname with his wife Jess Donnelly-Bornman\u2019s.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cm2z351l6jxo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Both men were denied by Home Affairs <\/a>before the case reached the courts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-court-declares-the-law-discriminatory\">Court Declares the Law Discriminatory<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/africa.businessinsider.com\/local\/lifestyle\/south-african-court-rules-that-men-can-take-their-wifes-surname\/b0g19t3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Justice Leona Theron <\/a>delivered the judgment, stating the restriction \u201cserved no legitimate government purpose\u201d. The Court declared that denying men this choice unfairly discriminated on the basis of gender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-1753126015\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-colonial-influence-on-surnames\">Colonial Influence on Surnames<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Court emphasised that the law was a <strong>\u201ccolonial import\u201d<\/strong>. In many African traditions, women retained their birth names after marriage, and children often carried their mother\u2019s clan name. European colonisers and missionaries changed this practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-government-did-not-oppose-the-challenge\">Government Did Not Oppose the Challenge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Both the Minister of Home Affairs, Leon Schreiber, and the Minister of Justice, Mamoloko Kubayi, supported the couple\u2019s case. They agreed the law was outdated and inconsistent with constitutional values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-42362829\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-interim-remedy-for-surname-applications\">Interim Remedy for Surname Applications<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Court suspended the invalidity for 24 months, giving Parliament time to amend the Act. However, it provided an interim solution. Men may now <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news24.com\/life\/relationships\/constitutional-court-rules-husbands-can-now-legally-take-wives-surnames-20250911-0621\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>immediately apply at Home Affairs<\/strong> <\/a>to adopt their wife\u2019s surname or hyphenate. This mirrors the process already available to women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-expert-opinions-on-gender-equality\">Expert Opinions on Gender Equality<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/constitutionallyspeaking.co.za\/unconstitutional-law-assumes-married-women-will-take-their-husbands-surnames-but-never-other-way-around\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Legal experts w<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/constitutionallyspeaking.co.za\/unconstitutional-law-assumes-married-women-will-take-their-husbands-surnames-but-never-other-way-around\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">elcomed <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/constitutionallyspeaking.co.za\/unconstitutional-law-assumes-married-women-will-take-their-husbands-surnames-but-never-other-way-around\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the decision<\/a>. Professor Pierre de Vos of the University of Cape Town previously argued that section 26 of the Act <strong>unfairly discriminated<\/strong> against individuals on the basis of gender. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Find out how to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/get-smart-ids-and-passports-at-more-branches-and-soon-via-banking-apps\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Get Smart IDs and Passports at More Branches and Soon via Banking Apps<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-3264912537\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-advancing-equality-in-south-africa\">Advancing Equality in South Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Court noted that while South Africa has made \u201csignificant advancement\u201d in gender equality, discriminatory laws still exist. This ruling removes a harmful stereotype that assumes only women should change their names.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-impact-on-families-and-culture\">Impact on Families and Culture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For many couples, this ruling is not just legal but personal. It recognises modern partnerships where identity, equality, and shared family names matter. At the same time, the Court respected African traditions that valued maternal naming practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-940946177\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-next-steps-for-parliament\">Next Steps for Parliament<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Parliament now has two years to amend the Births and Deaths Registration Act. Until then, Home Affairs must implement the interim order and process applications from men on an equal footing with women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-this-means-for-couples\">What This Means for Couples<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Any spouse may now assume the other\u2019s surname after marriage. Couples can also choose a double-barreled surname. This change ensures fairness and offers families more flexibility in shaping their identities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>South Africa\u2019s Constitutional Court has ruled that men can legally take their wife\u2019s surname after marriage. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":29141,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"South Africa\u2019s Constitutional Court has ruled that men can legally take their wife\u2019s surname after marriage. \n","footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[1668,9735],"class_list":{"0":"post-29136","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-lifestyle","8":"tag-home-affairs","9":"tag-lifestyle"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29136","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29136"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29136\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29144,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29136\/revisions\/29144"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}