South Africa's highest court has ruled in favour of same-sex marriages, which are banned under current legislation
Taken from BBC News
(This link is provided for information only. GLOBE is not responsible for, and does not endorse the contents of, external internet sites)
The Constitutional Court ordered that parliament amend marriage laws to allow gay weddings within a year.
Last year, the Supreme Court of Appeal had ruled in a case brought by a lesbian couple that the current law discriminated against homosexuals.
But the home affairs department went to the Constitutional Court, arguing that only parliament could change the law.
South Africa's constitution guarantees freedom from discrimination for gays and lesbians.
"The common law definition of marriage is declared to be inconsistent with the constitution and invalid to the extent that it does not permit same-sex couples to enjoy the status and benefits it accords heterosexual couples," said Justice Albie Sachs in his ruling, AFP reports.
The court also ordered that the definition of marriage be changed from a "union between a man and a woman" to a "union between two persons".
After the Supreme Court of Appeal ruled last November that Marie Fourie and Cecilia Bonthuys should be allowed to wed, they later found they were unable to register for a church wedding at the Department of Home Affairs.
South Africa's constitution - introduced in 1996 - was the first in the world specifically to outlaw discrimination on the grounds of sexual preference.
Social attitudes however remain more conservative than the constitution, and gays and lesbians still suffer discrimination and sometimes violence.