Divorce Amendment Act

1. The Divorce Act. 1979 (Act No. 70 of 1979), is hereby amended by the insertion · after section 5 of the following section: · 5 · ''Refusal to-grant ·di'vorce ·· SA. If it ' a . ars. to. a 1co~ in ·di~orce roceedin s that des ite the granting of a decree of divorce by the court the, spouses or either one of them will, by re3Son' of the' prescripts of their religion or the religion of either one of them, not be free to remarry unless the marriage is also 10 ~dissolved ' in -accordance with such prescripts or "unless a barrier to the ' remarriage of the spouse concerned is removed, the· court may refuse to grant a decree of divorce unless the court is satisfied that the spouse within whose power it is to have the marriage so dissolved or the 'said barrier so removed, has taken all the necessary steps to have the marriage so dissolved 15 or the barrier to the remarriage of the other spouse removed or the court _may make any other order that it finds just."; . . ·. . Short.title · ·

2. This Ad shall be called the Divorce Amendment Act, 1996.