South Africa ban on husbands taking wife’s family name ruled unconstitutional

The case was heard at the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg (Themba Hadebe/AP)

South Africa’s top court has ruled that an apartheid-era law banning husbands from taking their wife’s family name or hyphenating both spouses’ surnames was unconstitutional.

The ruling by the Constitutional Court, which said the existing law must be amended, paves the way for husbands to adopt their wife’s last name if they wish to do so.