Why the marriage institution is dying

Statistics from the Francistown High Court indicate that 288 divorce cases were registered in 2009. By last month, the court had 349 divorce cases for this year. This is an indication that the value and importance of marriage is reducing with time. Experts say this has been happening because there is no strong principles and pillars in today's marriages.

Gender analyst and social work lecturer at the University of Botswana, Log Raditlhokwa says people should not marry until they are sure that they understand and love each other genuinely. "People tend to think they love each other whereas their love is not authentic. That is why after some time the love dies," he says. Raditlhokwa says that many people have been misled to think that marriage will always be conflict free. This results in people failing to solve interpersonal conflicts in marriages. "Now instead of people being patient in their marriages, they give up too easily."