Gay South African's can now legally adopt children.

The highest court in the country said on Tuesday that people in "permanent, same-sex partnerships" could provide children with a stable home and the support and affection necessary.

This makes South Africa the first African country to let same-sex couples legally adopt children, reports the French news agency, AFP.

Lesbian judges Anne-Marie de Vos and Suzanne du Toit, who have been partners since 1989, had asked the court to overturn laws that prevented Du Toit from adopting De Vos's two children.

She and Suzanne du Toit have been in a permanent partnership since 1989, the Mail and Guardian said, and they will now be able to officially adopt Ms de Vos's two children.

South Africa's Constitution outlaws discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, but provisions of the Child Care Act had banned gay couples from adopting children.