Johannesburg, South Africa ? South Africa’s highest court ruled in favor of gay marriage Thursday, a landmark decision that clears the way for the country to become the first to legalize same-sex unions on a continent where homosexuality remains largely taboo.

The decision does not take immediate effect, however. The Constitutional Court, which decided it is unconstitutional to prohibit gays from marrying, gave Parliament a year to make the necessary legal changes. That disappointed gay rights advocates, some of whom have been waiting years to wed.

“We were thinking we would be calling our friends today and inviting them to our wedding,” said Fikile Vilakazi, of the Forum for the Empowerment of Women, who proposed to her partner more than six months ago. “Now they are asking us to wait another year.”

Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain are the only nations that now allow gay marriage nationwide.

South Africa recognized the rights of gay people in the constitution adopted after apartheid ended in 1994 – the first in the world to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Married couples have many rights denied gay couples, including the ability to make decisions on each other’s behalf in medical emergencies and inheritance rights if a partner dies without a will.

Judge Kate O’Regan agreed with the other 10 members of the court that same-sex marriage should be legal but argued that the court should effect the changes immediately – a view shared by gay rights groups.