Mayelane v Ngwenyama 2013 4 SA 415 (CC) is arguably the most important judgment concerning the recognition of customary marriages in recent times. This article attempts to unpack some of the many issues that arise from the case, namely: (a) the practical difficulties associated with ascertaining living customary law and the problems of identifying legal versus social norms; (b) the meaning of consent as a requirement of a customary marriage; (c) the implications of the case for equality between multiple wives in a customary marriage, and as between wives across customary marriages of different cultural traditions; and (e) the implications of the case for equality considerations more broadly. While the authors sympathise with the court in respect of the complex decision before it, it questions the Court's method and result, specifically for the equality rights of a second (or further) "wife" in a Vatsonga customary marriage. The authors suggest that the issues should be put to democratic deliberation by the legislative arm, rather than leaving courts in the unenviable position of having to decide these matters.

Growth and product formation by a selected variant of Aspergillus oryzae showing high alpha-amylase production was studied in continuous cultivations carried out at six different specific growth rates, using glucose as the growth-limiting nutrient. The analysis of the steady-state data revealed that the variant and wild-type strains were similar with respect to glucose uptake system and stoichiometric coefficients. However, the variant was capable of maintaining an enzyme production as high as 40 FAUgDW-1h-1 at a dilution rate of 0.2 h-1, while the wild-type strain reached a maximum specific alpha-amylase production rate of 17 FAUgDW-1h-1 at a dilution rate of 0.1 h-1. Using a morphologically structured model originally proposed for the wild-type strain, it was possible to describe enzyme production, biomass formation and glucose consumption after modification of a few parameters to adjust the model to the characteristics of the selected variant.