SOUTH AFRICA: South Africa's highest court yesterday ruled it is unconstitutional to prevent gay people from marrying, paving the way for the country to become the first to legalise same-sex unions on a continent where homosexuality remains largely taboo.
The constitutional court gave parliament a year to make the necessary legal changes, disappointing some activists - some of whom have been waiting years to marry.
"We were thinking we would be calling our friends today and inviting them to our wedding," said Fikile Vilakazi, of the Forum for the Empowerment of Women, who proposed to her partner more than six months ago.
"Now they are asking us to wait another year."
South Africa recognised the rights of gay people in the constitution adopted after apartheid ended in 1994 - the first in the world to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. But the government has opposed attempts to extend the definition of marriage in court to include same-sex couples in the mostly Christian country.
Married couples have numerous rights still denied to gay couples, including the ability to make decisions on each other's behalf in medical emergencies, and inheritance rights if a partner dies without a will.
Judge Albie Sachs, who delivered yesterday's ruling, said the common law and Marriage Act definitions of marriage as a union between a man and a woman "are accordingly inconsistent with sections . . . of the constitution to the extent that they make no provision for same-sex couples to enjoy the status, entitlements and responsibilities they accord to heterosexual couples".
The court instructed parliament to extend the definitions within a year, or else the words "or spouse" would automatically be added by the courts.
Judge Kate O'Regan agreed with the other 10 members of the court that same-sex marriage should be legal, but argued in a separate opinion that the court should effect the changes immediately, a view shared by gay rights groups.
Ms Vilikazi is worried MPs could attempt to water down the decision by introducing a different category of marriage for same-sex couples.
But some Christian groups argued the ruling already went too far.
"South Africa has a very strong traditional and conservative population," said Steven Swart, spokesman for the tiny African Christian Democratic Party.
"We as Christian democrats believe we should treat all people with compassion, but there are certain guidelines that we stand by: marriage is a union between a man and woman."
The ruling was in response to an appeal by government against a Supreme Court ruling last year that said a lesbian couple's union should be recognised.