The Marriage (Amendment) Act, 2023

An Act to amend the Marriage Act. [26th December, 2023
ENACTED by the Parliament of Zambia. 1. This Act may be cited as the Marriage (Amendment) Act,
2023, and shall be read as one with the Marriage Act, in this Act
referred to as the principal Act. 2. The principal Act is amended in section 2 by the insertion
of the following new definition in the appropriate place:
“child” has the meaning assigned to the word in the
Constitution;. 3. The principal Act is amended by the repeal of section 33
and the substitution therefor of the following:
33. A marriage between persons either of whom is a
child, is void. 4. The principal Act is amended by the repeal of section 34
and the substitution therefor of the following:
34. (1) Nothing contained in this Act shall affect the
validity of any marriage contracted under or in accordance
with any African customary law, or in any manner apply to
marriages so contracted. Marriage (Amendment) [No. 13 of 2023 259
Amendment
of section 2
Cap. 50
Repeal and
replacement
of section 33
Void marriage
Enactment
Short title
Cap. 1
Repeal and
replacement
of section 34
Marriage
under African
Customary
law
GOVERNMENT OF ZAMBIA
ACT
No.

n 33
Void marriage
Enactment
Short title
Cap. 1
Repeal and
replacement
of section 34
Marriage
under African
Customary
law
GOVERNMENT OF ZAMBIA
ACT
No.

13 of 2023
Date of Assent: 22nd December, 2023
Single copies of this Act may be obtained from the Government Printer,
P.O. Box 30136, 10101 Lusaka, Price K4.00 each.

(2) Despite subsection (1), section 33 shall apply to a
marriage contracted under or in accordance with any
African customary law.
(3) Any person who is married under this Act or whose
marriage is declared by this Act to be valid, shall be
incapable, during the continuance of such marriage, of
contracting a valid marriage under any African Customary
law.
Marriage (Amendment)260 No. 13 of 2023]