The Department of Home Affairs wants marriage officers who are appointed after the Civil Union Act is amended to be aware they will have to solemnise same-sex marriages. The Mercury reports this emerged yesterday when state lawyers made a presentation to the National Assembly Home Affairs Committee on the Civil Union Amendment Bill.

The department’s Deon Erasmus said there should be a provision in the Civil Union Act allowing officials who were exempted from solemnising same-sex marriages before the amendment of the legislation to retain that permission.

‘You are balancing the rights. Going forward, anybody employed as a marriage officer and who does not have that prior to the amendment of the Bill will have to conduct such marriages,’ he said.

Yesterday MPs heard that out of 412 offices, 111 offices have marriage officers who were willing to solemnise same-sex marriages under the Civil Union Act. There were 692 marriage officers, but 309 officials are able to solemnise same-sex marriages and 383 were exempted.

The department said it now wants same-sex couples to be able to approach any office and that arrangements would be made to assist with the marriage of their choice.

The plan is to assign marriage officers and arrangements would be made where there was no marriage officer.

Committee chairperson Hlomane Chauke said the state could not discriminate on sexual orientation. He gave the state lawyers until next week to come up with the amendment for inclusion in the Civil Union Amendment Bill.

Full report in The Mercury (subscription needed)