VARIOUS: People from all over the continent share their views about South Africa legalising same-sex unions

The South African parliament overwhelmingly approved a bill on Tuesday (November 14) to make the nation the first on the continent to legalise gay marriage. The bill was pushed through the National Assembly by the ruling African National Congress amid protests by religious groups and opposition parties in a region where homosexuality remains largely taboo. South Africa's cabinet approved the bill in August after the country's highest court ruled it was unconstitutional to deny gay people the right to marry. The court gave parliament until Dec. 1 to change the law. The Civil Union bill, which gives same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual ones, still needs approval by the second house of parliament but is expected to come into effect by the end of November. When enacted South Africa would become the first country in Africa to accord homosexual couples over the age of 18 the same rights as their heterosexual counterparts, following countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Canada. Anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, released from prison in 1990, led the ANC to triumph in South Africa's multi-racial elections in 1994 to become the country's first black president. Opposition parties spoke out against the change, echoing unhappiness by religious groups which staged protest marches in the run-up to the vote. Although a few people around the continent expressed support for the bill, most Africans interviewed showed strong disapproval - for mainly religious reasons.

ITN Source | November 17, 2006

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