The government says lobola will not be banned under the Marriages Bill as widely believed. Justice Minister, Ziyambi Ziyambi said the n...
The government says lobola will not be banned under the Marriages
Bill as widely believed.
Justice Minister, Ziyambi Ziyambi said the new bill seeks to
prohibit marriage officers from requesting proof of lobola payyment when
solemnising a customary marriage.
“In terms of our current marriages laws, there are two
types of marriages: civil and customary marriages. What has been happening is
that in the case of a civil marriage, a couple would go to the marriage officer
to solemnise the marriage with no questions being asked about payment of lobola.
“However, in terms of a customary marriage, the marriage
officer would ask whether lobola had been paid to the bride’s family. That
requirement had to be satisfied first before the marriage is solemnised.
“What the new law will do now is that requirement will fall
away. But this does not mean we are saying people should not pay lobola, no! Lobola
will still be paid, but the provision requiring the marriage officer to request
proof of lobola payment is the one we have done away with.
“The groom is still required to pay the bride price to the
bride’s family as has been happening all along. It is only that when
registering a customary union, the marriage officer is no longer required to
satisfy himself that the bride price has been paid,"Ziyambi told The Sunday Mail.
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