Zimbabwe has ushered in a new marriage law that gives equal rights to “girlfriends” and women in registered unions upon the dissolution of a marriage or death of the husband.
Marriage Act (Chapter 5:15) was signed May 27 and took effect at the end of August.
Unlike in the past, the new law recognizes civil partnerships, which are not marriages but are recognized only for property sharing.
A civil partnership is a relationship between a man and woman older than the age of 18 who live together on a genuine domestic basis. The union can co-exist with any other marriage, including a civil union.
The new law has brought a radical change to marriage laws in Zimbabwe with the Marriage Act (Chapter 5:11) and Customary Marriages Act (Chapter 5:07) being repealed.
Civil marriages under the Marriage Act were considered superior and handled differently upon divorce. But now all marriages are treated equally, giving Zimbabweans in other marriages more rights to inherit property.
Apart from recognizing all marriages, the new law outlaws child marriages by setting a minimum age of 18 for marriages and criminalizes anyone involved in child marriage.
