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
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
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
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
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
Ukumbathisa umuntu ongasekho emndenini uma kwenziwa umembeso kuwumkhuba owenziwa imindeni eminingi. Uma ngabe kuzo kwenziwa umembeso ungabe kumbeswa abakamakoti noma abakamkhwenyana. Kodwa kuvamise ukuthi kuqale abakamakoti. Umakoti uvamise ukuthi akhulume nomkhwenyana wakhe ukuthi akahlangane nomndeni wakhe khona ezokwazi ukuthi yiziphi izipho ezidingwa umndeni. Kuyabhalwa phansi ephepheni ukuthi bangaki abantu okudingeka ukuthi bambathiswe. Nabashonayo kubalulekile ukuthi … Read more