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Sibheka ilobolo kumbe amalobolo

Ilobolo yizinkomo (kungakhathaleki Umgudu wokulobola
KUNGANI ILOBOLO LIYIN-
ukuthi zingaki) ezikhokhwa wumkhwen-
KINGA NAMUHLA? yana ukuze abe nomakoti. Yizinkomo
Kulesi sikhathi esiphila kuso ezehlukene ezibizwa ngamagama
ahlukeke futhi zinemisebenzi ehlukene
sibhekene nenselelo ezikhokhelwa uyise nonina wendodakazi.
yokungaqondi ukuthi ilobolo Inzinkomo zikhombisa ukuzethemba
komkhwenyana ebonisa abazali ben-
Lobolo is a problem in our era
tombazane ukuthi angeke ilambe lapho
because we do not have peo- iyoganela khona. Ukuhambisa ilobolo
ple who have a clear know kukhomba ukuthi uyise ozala umkhwen-
yana ungumnumzane., futhi ngokunjalo
how of what it is, and why was it or akuhlushekwa kuleli khaya.
is it still being practiced. Lobolo, has • Okwesibili: ukutshengisa ukuthi
more value that just a mere practice. We
amaThonga ukuthi isibaya Siyanda,
must always put it into a context whenev-
njengalokhu sikhula siqinisa wona lo
er we talk about lobolo, and not just dis-
muzi wamaThonga. Yingakho lezi zinko-
cuss it in isolation.
mom zinamagama eziqanjwe ngawo.
Today we are confusing ilobolo, which 2. Izibizo zikamama or her economic conditions have Nokuchazwa kwazo (izinkomo). Nawa
are cattle and izibizo which is just goods mother’s customary dues are brought both distortions and amagama ezinkomo:
– , and something else. It is these izibizo
where people start doing their gambling, paid as part of the lobolo pro- innovation to the lobolo cus- • Ubikibiki – le nkomo inikezwa unina
which is conducted very badly. cess. tom, in general, the practice wentombazane nguumkhwenyana.
Customarily Zulus consider marriage as still constitutes the most pre- • Ubhaqa – le nkomo inikezwa uyise
an opportunity through which new bonds 3. Before she is allowed to wentombazane ukuze akhanyise indlela
are formed between two families in the join her new family, a special ferred, revered and recog-
main, that of the bride and the bride- cow called udondolo is of- nized gesture of cementing • Umqholiso/Ingquthu – le nkomo
groom. The process of ukulobola, to pay inikezwa unina kamakoti.
the bride price in brief, is a critical stage fered. the marital bond and calling • Umumba – le nkomo inikwa unina
in which the symbolic and material ges- 4. She is then anointed with upon the ancestors and God kamakoti, kepha iyingxenye
tures of the coming together of these two to bless it.
families is realised. Often, a great deal of sacrificial bile to mark her new • Imvulamlomo/Ingqaqhamazinyo –
pomp, ceremony and robust negotiations family status, more so that inkomo enikwa uyisekamakoti ukuze
accompany this custom. Although histori- she is now no more a mem- Ngabe yini equkethwe yiLobolo? axoxe nabakhongi.
cally the lobolo ritual predates colonial- Umbuzo wokuqala ngabe yini iLobolo? • Imvula – yinkomo emenyezelwayo
ism, ‘the Europeans who codified Zulu ber of her original family. Ukulobola akusikho lokhu esikwenzayo kuqala, ngaphambi kokuba kulotsholwe
law and the missionaries, regarded lobo- 5. Should she divorce or her namuhla futhi kwakungamele kube •
lo as being in the nature of a business ngalendlela osekwenziwa ngayo na- Unozungeza – yingxenye yelobolo
transactio in which a fixed price had to be husband die, for her second muhla. Okokuqala: Ngesikhathi um- • Inhlabisamthimba – yinkomo eh-
arrived at,’ so argues social anthropolo- marriage lobolo is not re- numzane nomama bezala abant- latshwayo ngosuku lomgcagco.
gist Absalom Vilakazi in his celebrated quired. wana,bafisa ukutzibula ngoumntwana •
book on aspects of Zulu culture and trad- womfana ukuze isibongo sekhaya lelo Isibhoma – nale yinkomo ehlatshwa-
tions, Zulu Transformations. It is in the 6. Instead, a token is given siqhubeke, singapheli, ngakolunye uh- yo ngosuku lomgcagco
context of this particular historical mo- to her outgoing in-laws. langothi ukuzala umntwana wentomba- • Ibheka – yinkomo eyengeziwe
ment in Natal that saw then governor Sir zane akuqinisekisi ukuqhubeka (khumbula ukuthi lezi zinkomo, kwezinye
Theophilus Shepstone uSomtsewu as 7. Since traditionally Zulu kwesibongo sekhaya., kepha kuyinkom- izindawo, zibizwa ngokuthi Amabheka) .
Zulus called him, impose a figure of 11 and other African societies ba yomnotho-ingcebo (ukungena Lezi inzinkomo ezimingabiziwe
cattle as a standard for ilobolo. frowned the idea of a divorce, kwezinkomo) ekhaya Kanye nokwandisa ngamagama, ngeziphelezela lezi
By doing so, Shepstone was deliberately ubudlelwano ngaphandle kwekhaya ezingenhla ezibaliwe. Kuvamile-ke ukuthi
distorting an otherwise noble practice as the widow or a divorced wom- Okwesithathu: ukuze umnumzane abone zingapheleliswa zonke lezi zinkomo,

part of a bigger and nefarious agenda of an can be paid whatever that ukuthi umsamo uyaphila, namaThongo kunenkolelo yokuthi umkhwenyana uy-
depleting the cattle herds of Zulu men can be negotiated by the two ambhekile, ubona ngobuningi bezinkomo oba lusizo ngelinye ilanga kuleli khaya
who otherwise saw no need to pay vari- ezikhona ekhaya nangokuthi bonke azalwa kulo umakoti wakhe. Phela um-
ous demeaning taxes nor submit to the parties without the involve- abantwana bakhe bayenda/ bayendel- khwenyana yisigodo sokuqhuzula
needs for cheap labour at the time. To ment of her direct parents as wa.akekho obefuna umntwana wakhe
refer to Vilakazi again: ‘By Zulu custom- endele emzini ohlwempu futhi ongenzi
ary law, the very essence of lobolo was she no longer belongs there. kahle. Yingakho abamnumzane be-
its indeterminate character, for it was part 8. Thereafter either a goat or befuna amadodakazi awo endele emizini Umehluko Phakathi kwelobolo nezibizo
of the gifts that pass to and fro between a cow is slaughtered to mark emi kahle ukuze abe nesiqiniseko sokuthi kwesinye isikhathi abantu mabekhuluma
the contracting families as long as the awazululamba ngakho-ke, ngaleyo min- ngelobolo, banakho ukuphambanisa
marriage persists. The izibizo are part of her new family status. yaka edlulile, abantu bebebiza amanani nezibizo. Izibizo yizimpahla ezifunwa
this general pattern.’ 9. As is the case in many ahlukahlukene ezinkomo. Belingekho ngunina kamakoti, kumkhwenyana.
To return to the matter at hand, the fol- inani elikaliwe elingujuqu. Izibizo azinakubalulwa ukuthi zinhloboni,
lowing points are worth considering : cultures, in the final analysis, Le ndlela yokwenza yokulobola yabukwa, kepha kuya ngokuthi unina wentomba-
1. Assuming that a woman is getting the failure or success of any yahlaziywa umlungu uSomtsewu ka- zane ufunani. Lezi zimpahla zithatha
married for the first time, her lobolo rites marriage mainly depends on Sonzica (Sir Theophilus Shepstone), indawo noma zingena esikhundleni sale
often comprise sending a delegation from the two people who have en- owayibona ingahlelekile. USomtsewu nkomo okuthiwa ubikibiki osubalwe kulezi
the future bridegroom’s party who start a kaSonzica wabe esenquma ukuthi inani zinkomo ezingenhla. Ilobolo aliyiso isipho
process towards paying all 11 tered matrimony. lezinkomo zelobolo zizoba yi 11, okanye ukubonga abazali bakamakoti
yingakho namuhla silobola ngezinkomo ngokuzala nokukhulisa intombazane
cattle to the future bride’s In conclusion, although vari- eziyishmi nomuvo.
family. ous pressures and influences
of modernity and socio- Liyini ilobolo?