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Assent to Civil Union Act, 2006 (Act No. 16 of 2006)
30 November 2006
Acting President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka has signed into law the Civil Union Act, 2006. The Act seeks to regulate the solemnisation and registration of civil unions by way of either marriage or a civil partnership and to provide for the legal consequences of the solemnisation and registration of civil union.
The Act is in line with the Constitutional Court judgment in the case of Lesbian and Gay Equality Project and Eighteen Others v Minister of Home Affairs and Others which found that the common law definition of marriage in the Marriage Act, 1961, is inconsistent with the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa and is invalid to the extent that it does not permit same-sex couples to enjoy the status, benefits and responsibilities it accords to heterosexual couples.
The Act will come into operation on 30 November 2006.
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Issued by: The Presidency
30 November 2006
Source: SAPA