Isibaya

Indawo apho kulala khona izinkomo, ibizwa ngokuthi. Iyisakhiwo esenziwe ngezingodo KwaZulu sisetshenziswa ukugcina izinkomo. Isibaya sakhiwe maphakathi nomuzi. Izinkuni noma izingodo zokwakha isibaya ziyaqoqwa bese zihlanganiswa zenze isiyingi nesango. Isango libhekene nomnyango omkhulu womuzi ukuze abantu bakwazi ukufinyelela kalula esibayeni. Izinkomo zilala ngaphakathi esibayeni lapho lina futhi uma kubanda noma lina izinkomo zilala ngaphandle kwesibaya, … Read more

Requirements for a Customary Marriage

Earlier this month traditional marriages came under the spotlight when the widow of hip-hop star, HHP, had to argue in court that the legal requirements for her customary marriage to be acknowledged had been met. The father of Jabulani ‘HHP’ Tsambo, was arguing that because lobola hadn’t been paid in full, and that the ceremony which … Read more

The Great Lobola Debate

A week or two back SAFM hosted a series of discussions on the topic of lobola. The two guests on the show represented opposite ends of the spectrum – on the one side a young male graduate was calling for the abolition of the lobola system, and on the other a more mature female educationalist … Read more

Stages in a Zulu Wedding: Umembeso

While many people conflate lobola and umembeso ceremonies, they are in fact separate concepts, even when they are performed on the same day. While Lobola can most easily be described as a ‘bride price’, something with a specific monetary value attached to it, umembeso or izbizo as it’s also referred to, is the giving of gifts … Read more

Stages in a Zulu Wedding: Lobola

As we head towards the month of love we thought that we’d continue our theme of a Zulu wedding. Last week we wrote about how lobola has been the butt of a few jokes recently, but in reality it’s probably one of the Zulu traditions that’s the most widely practiced today, with many other customs having … Read more

The Lighter Side of Life

According to Zulu custom lobola negotiations are seen as the first stage of a wedding or traditional marriage, but in contemporary South Africa instead of conjuring up images of love and ‘happily ever after’, lobola has become something of a divisive issue, with some people even going so far as to call for its abolishment. As a … Read more