2016: The worst year for marriage
Mpho Mokwape | Tuesday February 14, 2017 11:30
According to statistics for the period January to December 2016, 1,301 cases were reportedly registered as compared to 971 cases recorded in 2012.
Speaking at the recent opening of the legal year, Chief Justice Maruping Dibotelo said the statistics were a clear sign that people no longer respected the institution of marriage and that marital vows were no longer sacred.
He explained that for that year alone 1,435 cases including those carried forward from 2015 were completed, signalling a high divorce rate.
Dibotelo said though this was a sensitive matter, which may not seem appropriate to discuss, it was high time not to shy away from the issue as it affects the very fabric of society.
“This is a matter at the heart of the fabric of our society and indeed the cohesion of the family unit. To a large extent, we know or are exposed to appreciate the resultant impact and effect of divorce to all concerned and the society,” he added.
Dibotelo noted with concern that though there was no magic wand to the matter, suffice to state that the nation must arrest the situation.
He maintained that this could only be arrested by utilising the time-tested restorative interventions and the traditional extended family system to keep the marriage and family setup intact.
“Psychologists say children are the most affected by the escalating divorce rates. I am constrained as I have done before in my addresses to express concern regarding the high divorce rate for a small population as ours,” he said.