Parliament raises alarm over Divorce Bill deadline

PARLIAMENT has expressed concern that the Home Affairs Department has introduced a divorce bill, leaving limited time to process it considering that in just two months, the constitutional deadline expires.

- MAYIBONGWE MAQHINA

The matter came up when the National Assembly Programme was briefed this week about the bills that are before committees and those that have constitutional deadlines.

Briefing the committee last week, parliamentary legal advisor Charmaine van der Merwe said Parliament was given an October deadline to fix a constitutional defect in the Divorce Act by the Constitutional Court.

Van der Merwe said the department introduced the General (Family) Laws Amendment Act in Parliament only on August 13.

"Parliament has enquired from the department regarding an application to request the Constitutional Court to extend the suspension of the order as the delay in the introduction occurred with the department processes. Should the department fail to do so, Parliament will proceed with the same," she said.

Van der Merwe said the court order lapses on October 11.