‘Not every chief must be a marriage officer’

GOVERNMENT should set up minimum qualifications for traditional leaders who solemnise marriages to safeguard against challenges related to literacy and age, legislators have said.

Parliament’s portfolio committee on Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs chaired by Makoni South MP Cde Misheck Mataranyika (Zanu PF) said the Marriages Bill should not allow all traditional leaders to be marriage officers.

The chiefs and headmen should meet an agreed criteria to be eligible.

Cde Mataranyika said this last week in the National Assembly while presenting the committee’s report during the Second Reading stage of the Marriages Bill.

“The Bill must not make all chiefs marriage officers by default,” he said. “Instead, the (responsible) Minister may designate certain persons to become marriage officers, including chiefs, the headman or some other qualified persons upon meeting certain criteria.

“This may be operationalised through promulgation of regulations that will give effect to the criteria upon which designation of other officers may be premised for purposes of this Bill. The criteria may include level of understanding, expertise and experience in administering customary marriage related issues or any other consideration that will serve the interests of the Bill.

“The Bill is commended for seeking to decentralise the registration of marriages by designating chiefs as marriage officers who are empowered to register customary marriages in terms of clause 9. While the above rationale is noble, there are some problematic aspects arising from the proposal as it currently stands.”