Register customary marriages before August deadline

This SAnews article reports a statement by South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs urging couples in qualifying customary marriages to register their unions before the special registration period ends on 31 August 2026. The special window runs from 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2026 and was introduced to regularise marital status, including customary marriages concluded before the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act came into effect in November 2000 and later marriages that were not registered within the required timeframe. Home Affairs warns against waiting until the last days due to likely queues and processing delays and asks traditional/community leaders and civil society to help raise awareness.