The Government of Swaziland
/ eSwatini has withdrawn a legal appeal
to fight a court ruling that allowed married women equal rights to their
husbands over assets.
The High Court had struck down
provisions in the Marriage Act which gave men control over their wives and there
assets. It
said the common law doctrine of ‘marital power’ offended women’s constitutional
rights to dignity and equality.
Swaziland is ruled by King
Mswati III, the last absolute monarch in sub-Saharan Africa, and is a deeply
conservative society. The King has himself taken at least 15 wives. In Swazi
culture women are considered to be children and are ruled by their fathers,
husbands or other male family members.
Attorney General Sifiso
Mashampu Khumalo said in a statement that a
new marriage bill was being drafted and he hoped to ‘fast-track’ it.
The withdrawal of the
appeal means that the judgment of the High Court stands and women married
through civil rites and in community of property will no longer have to seek consent
from their husbands when buying or selling property.
See also
Swaziland
High Court rules married women equal under the law to their husbands
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