Political parties which draw their support from religious voters have slammed a proposed change to marriage laws which could see a woman marrying more than one man, notes a Cape Argus report.

The legalisation of polyandry is just one of a number of wide-ranging proposals in the Green Paper which the Department of Home Affairs has gazetted to invite comments.

Al Jama-ah Party leader Ganief Hendricks said his party would support street protests if a proposal on polyandry contained in a government Green Paper on marriage is included in legislation.

It was the government’s responsibility to ‘uphold decent moral values’, he said, adding: ‘The second and subsequent marriages in a polyandrous marriage will be considered by Al Jama-ah as an adulterous relationship.’

The Muslim Judicial Council’s spokesperson Muneer Abdouroaf said: ‘As the Muslim community we are in favour of a Bill that recognises polygyny where a husband is allowed to have two or more wives up to a maximum of four. However as far as polyandry is concerned, it is something which is foreign to Islamic law and therefore we are not in support of that type of provision in the Bill.’

ACDP president Reverend Kenneth Meshoe MP said: ‘The ACDP does not, and will not support the legalisation of polyandry. We are of the opinion that it will be an unworkable exercise. We will study the government's Green Paper on Marriages in more detail regarding this specific aspect, but our stance on this subject will not change.’

Traditional leaders were also among those who objected to polyandry and label it as an unacceptable practice because 'it is not of African origin'.

Full Cape Argus report