"Keep bogadi level," Kgosi advises government

NELSON DIRENG
Correspondent | Tuesday June 22, 2010 00:00

 

He said this will prevent people from making lobola a 'get rich quick' scheme instead of concentrating on its sentimental value.

Malema said youth prefer not to marry nowadays because of the exhorbitant lobola. Lobola is described as a southern African custom by which a bridegroom's family makes a payment in cattle or cash to the bride's family shortly before marriage.

'The payment is a form of gratitude to the woman's parents for blessing the marriage,' Malema said.

Malema reiterated that marriage is the will of God so the custom should be respected. He said that lobola has caused a lot of marriages to fall apart. 'Parents do not realise that by requesting high lobola prices they are in fact negatively impacting their children's relationships,' he said.

He said he is particularly concerned about parents whose daughters are educated. 'Most of them claim that they have worked hard to raise and educate their daughters which is why they charge a lot for her hand in marriage,' observed Malema.

He said that the same parents should consider that the man's parents also worked hard to raise their son. He said that lobola should be used to build a strong relationship between two families and not to destroy it.

He said parents should allow their children to get married even if the person marrying them is not rich especially because most of the time it will be a couple that is trying to start a life together.

He said not doing so causes rebellion and a lot of social ills like cohabitation and children being born out of wedlock.

'There should be a price that caters for both the rich and poor because marriage is marriage regardless of class,' he said.

Responding to Malema's request, the Assistant Minister for Local Government, Kentse Rammidi, said the government is not responsible for tackling issues of culture.

He said that the Magosi at ward level should tackle such matters because they are the ones with the power to amend their culture. 'The government is only responsible for civil marriages,' he said.

Kgosi Alfred Monnaathebe of Tonota agreed that the government had no power over customary law. He said that the issue of lobola is complicated because it differs from one tribe to another.

'It would be wrong for the government to try and set a linear culture for everyone,' he said.

Deputy chairman for the Ntlo ya Magosi, Kgosi Lotlaamoreng II, suggested that the Magosi come up with a day to tackle such issues.

He said that Mmirwa's motion is good and there are many like it that needed to be tackled by the Magosi without government interference.

'We shall however sit as Magosi and decide a day when it would be best to have such a gathering,' he said.