According to the recently released data by Statistics South Africa, 25 319 divorces were granted in the country since 2017.
These shocking figures were revealed by Jabulani Phakoe from the Gauteng Department of Social Development's Care and Support Services to Families during the celebration of National Marriage Week at Alberton Civic Centre on Saturday.
Celebrated under the theme "Making sense of you, me and our life together" – the event was organised to respond to the overwhelming number of fragmented marriages and to highlight marriage as an institution that holds families together.
Speaking to married couples, Phakoe said "Marriages should be celebrated daily and we should help couples understand themselves and their spouses so that they can make marriage life an enjoyable journey."
"We need to invest in our marriages, and we need to spend time with our partners. We have a problem in our society of marriages that are breaking down, so it is very critical that we nourish them so that we see a lesser amount of divorces," added Phakoe.
The White Paper on Families in South Africa approved by Cabinet on the 26th June 2013 stipulates that stable marital unions are essential for the stability of families and ultimately society's well-being. Where unions are flourishing, efforts will be made to promote them and
where they are under threat there will be a focus on strengthening them.
Ekurhuleni Regional Director, Phumla Nkosi said she strongly believes in marriages.
"Your relationships are very important to us, because when husbands and wives are happy at home, they province is happy, and ultimately the country is happy," she added.
The Gauteng Department of Social Development has in the 2018/19 financial-year assisted more than 58 367 families through its family preservation programme and 3 684 families participated in the family re-unification programmes provided by government.