| Media release |
| Update on Fraudulent Marriage Statistics |
In the third week of the Check Your Marital status campaign 235 more women have discovered that they are fraudulently married, bringing the total statistics of fraudulent marriages to 431.
Gauteng East which includes the Pretoria areas has recorded 89 fraudulent marriages while Gauteng West which includes Soweto and the Vereeniging areas has recorded 59, making Gauteng Province the highest with 148 fraudulent marriages. KwaZulu Natal Province is the second with 29 more fraudulent marriages followed by Mpumalanga Province with 23.
The campaign is part of the Women’s month celebration to survey the extend of the challenge of fraudulent marriages. To date 6169 women have approached the Department to verify their marital status.
The Minister of Home Affairs tabled an Immigration Amendment Bill in Parliament last week, which would curb the increasing rate of these marriages. The Amendment proposes that foreign nationals be married to their South African partners for five years instead of the present three years before they gain Permanent Residence .
South Africans wishing to check their marital status on the Internet can do so by visiting the Home Affairs website at www. home-affairs.gov.za. A toll free line which will operate during working hours (07.15 to 15.45) is 0800 10 1994.
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Released by Chief Directorate: Communication
Enquiries: Ronnie Mamoepa(Head of Communication)-ronnie.mamoepa@dha.gov.za 082 990 4853 | 25/08/2004 |
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