A court in South Africa has ruled that gay and lesbian couples could adopt children, reports The Associated Press news agency.

Before last Friday's ruling at the Pretoria High Court, gays and lesbians could only adopt children as individuals.

The ruling was made following an application by a lesbian judge, Anna Marie de Vos, a lesbian with two adopted children. Her partner of 14 years, Suzanne du Toit, has been prevented from co-adopting the children because of the Childcare and Guardian Acts.

In a second ruling, the court said that sections of a compensation act for judges should be declared unconstitutional because they prevent same-sex partners from sharing benefits including medical insurance packages enjoyed by their married heterosexual counterparts.

Gay rights groups welcomed the decision in the case but said much remained to be done to end discrimination against gays and lesbians in the country.

It's a big step forward in the broader struggle for legal equality for gay and lesbian people in South Africa," said Carrie Shelver, the director of the Lesbian and Gay Equality Project, a nongovernmental organization and advocacy group.

"The big challenge for organizations like us is to translate these legal victories into social equality," she added.

On Saturday, an estimated 10 000 and 18 000 celebrated South Africa's 12th annual Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade in possibly the biggest Pride Parade in Johannesburg's history.

In related news, the Birnin-Kebbi metropolitan Upper Sharia (Islamic) Court has sentenced a 35-year-old man from Kebbi State, Nigeria to death by stoning. According to UK's Black Britain Online, Attahiru Umar was alleged to have lured a seven-year-old boy into a homosexual act and was caught by residents in his neigbourhood.

The court case was said to be simple and straightforward as the accused confessed to the offence of homosexuality by stating; "I Attahiru Umar, I want to tell the court that I have committed the said offence of homosexuality. Similarly I want to appeal to the court to in the name of Allah have leniency on me."

It is not known how and when the execution will be carried out.