The Constitutional Court , South Africa's highest court, has ruled that men may assume their wives' surnames, declaring Section 26(1)(a) to (c) of the Births and Deaths Registration Act unconstitutional as it unfairly discriminates on the basis of gender, by failing to afford men the right to assume the surname of women after marriage. The court says the law was a "colonial import" that amounted to gender-based discrimination. Parliament will now have to amend the Births and Deaths Registration Act, along with its regulations, for the ruling to take effect. To unpack this historic decision Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Dr. Mathole Motshekga, founder of the Kara Heritage Institute and Professor Musa Xulu, cultural and religious expert