SERIOUS BREAKDOWN IN BANTU
MARRIAGE CUSTOMS
| TNDER
Bantu
tribal
con-
ditions, m arriage
w as
a
clearly
recognised
institution.
Adultery and prostitution now social Norms
Housing Drive urged as first step to restore
Som e tribes, such as the Zulu,
family life.
allow ed a peculiar fo rm o f p re­
m arital sexual in tercourse and
others, such as the Basuto,
By L. I. VENABLES
frow n ed on all fo rm o f inter­
course although a g ood deal took
“ D ISINTEGRATION of Bantu character so serious as to demand
place. N o tribe recognised illicit
far-reaching long-term remedial measures on a national basis," was
unions or allow ed a m an to live
w ith a w om an to w hom he w as discussed by a leading authority on Native administration, Mr. L. I.
Venables, the manager of the Non-European Affairs Department of the
n ot married.
Johannesburg Municipality, in an address last wee\ to the Native Affairs
The institution o f m arriage w as
generally regarded as essential Committee of the Johannesburg Rotary Club. Mr. Venables was spea\ing
fo r the legitim ate living togeth er on “ Marriage Amongst the Natives,” and THE FORUM considers his
o f a m an and w om an and the warning to be of such urgency that we publish the address in full.
form ation o f a com m on house­
hold and fo r the legitim ate p r o ­ herents o f the chu rch concerned hold goods. The bride’s brother
creation o f children. The essen­ resort to various stratagem s to is also expected to assist w ith the
tials o f the m arriage w ere In the circu m vent it, e.g., the m an ’s education, initiation and possibly
provide
the
bride’s even m arriage o f her children.
first case agreem ent betw een the parents
parents o f the m an and girl. In parents w ith a sum o f m on ey
m any tribes the agreem ent, con ­ su fficien t to purchase the requi­
T P H E third essential is a public
sent or w ishes o f the couple site num ber o f cattle o r the m a n ’s
cerem ony a t w hich the m a r­
them selves w ere quite im m aterial fa m ily drives the cattle in to the
and the m arriage w as arranged bride’s place under cover o f dark­ riage is form a lly and publicly
by the parents concerned, usually ness.
solem nised. A m o n g all southern
with, but often
w ithout,
any
The recip rocal obligation o f the Bantu tribes this is held at the
reference to the preferen ces o f bride’s fa m ily is to provide the bride’s
village.
The
"lo b o la ”
their children. O f recent years, m arriage fea st and to provide the cattle, or as m an y o f them as
however, g rea ter em phasis has bride w ith her trousseau, blan ­ have been paid, are paraded. The
been placed on the personal kets, pots, pans and oth er house­ bride’s people provide a special
wishes o f the couple concerned, in
the m a jority o f cases n egotiations
betw een the parents take place
only a t the instigation o f one or
other o f the couple. F ailing a
father, negotiations w ould take
place betw een the elder m ale
relatives o f the fam ilies.
A
'T 'H E second essential w as the
provision o f cattle, com m on ly
know n as “ lob ola” o r “ bohadi,”
supplied b y the g ro o m ’s fa m ily to
the bride’s. In m ost tribes the
am ount o f the cattle and other
stock to be provided w as fixed
at a constant figure. B u t in the
case o f w ealthy o r im portan t
fam ilies a higher am ount than the
usual m igh t be dem anded or
given. In the case o f p oor fa m i­
lies, although the usual am ount
w ould be agreed upon, the fu ll
paym ent o f this am ount w ould
n ot be attem pted o r insisted upon.
Several M ission organisations a t­
tem pted to prevent this custom
as they erroneously regarded the
exchange o f cattle as reflecting
purchase and sale o f the girl. S o
deeply em bedded is this custom
how ever that this prohibition has
taet w ith little success and ad­
‘’'PATIEN T PUZZLE W ORKERS.”
— The Loiiisville Courier Journal.
beast, w hich is ritually slaugh­
tered, and the bride and bride­
g room
are
form a lly
joined
tog eth er b y som e rite, such as
w ashing their hands w ith the bile
o f the slaughtered beast. There­
a fter both parties join in feasting
and celebration.
O w ing to the shortage o f cattle
and grow in g pov erty o f the
people,
various
m odifications
occu r in tribal life and in very
m any
cases the
couple
are
allow ed to live togeth er and are
regarded as m an and w ife before
the fu ll am ount o f the cattle has
been paid and before the actual
w edding cerem ony takes place.
But, in such cases, agreem ent
betw een the parents is essential
and paym en t o f som e part o f the
“ lob ola ” cattle w ill usually be
required. The g irl is also publicly
received b y her husband’s people
b y a sm all rite w hich pu blicly
indicates that she is accepted as
a daughter-in-law.
Should a man take an un­
m arried g irl to live w ith him
w ith ou t her parent’s consent he
w ill be liable to be sued fo r
abduction or seduction. In m any
tribes the penalty fo r this is con ­
siderable. Should he persist in
living w ith the girl the penalty
w ill be increased.
Binding Contract
In tribal life m arriage w as a
serious and binding con tra ct both
betw een the m an and his w ife and
betw een their respective fam ilies.
I f difficu lties occu rred between
the man and his w ife, their
parents and other senior kinsfolk
w ere expected to try and sm ooth
the difficu lties out and bring
pressure to bear on them to live
at peace w ith each other. It was
on ly in extrem e cases that di­
vorce w a s allow ed. B oth parties
w ere usually extrem ely reluctant
to perm it divorce as this m ight
m ean either th at the m an’s fam ily
w ould lose all righ ts over any
children o f the m arriage o r if
th ey insisted on keeping the
children, th ey w ould n ot be able
to g e t the "lo b o la ” cattle back.
Conversely, the w ife ’s fam ily
stood to lose the "lo b o la ” cattle,
w h ich they m igh t have to refund
i f the w ife w as in the w ron g. The
on ly
recognised
ground
fo r
divorce w as clear, deep-heated
personal antipathy betw een the
people n ot m arried, the com ­
plainant w as the w om an, w hile in
on ly 24 cases the m an lodged a
com plaint. In 108 instances out
o f 185 cases o f extra-m arital
unions, the result w as the break­
up o f the hom e and the separation
o f the parties. O f the 200 unions
under review there w ere 98
children, w hose ultim ate fa te as
a result o f the inevitable breakup
o f the hom e is a t least v ery un­
certain.”
m f n and his w ife— an antipathy
whici'"'-often m anifested itself in
accusations o f sorcery. A du ltery
on the pprt o f the m an w a s n ot
c o n s id e r s an offence to w hich
the w ife could take exception, but
the husband could punish his
w ife’s adultery by beating her.
A
M E A S U R E o f the strength
o f the m arriage ties and o f
its nature as a bond betw een the
tw o fam ilies is given b y tw o
w idespread
custom s
known
the
as
F igu res extracted fr o m the
records o f one o f the la rger lo c a ­
tions fo r a particu lar period o f
six m onths, revealed that 64.71
per cent, o f the live births regis­
tered w ere registered as illegiti­
m ate.
generally
sororate
and
levirate custom s. The w om an ’s
fam ily w as expected to provide
a man and his fam ily w ith
a
g ood housewife and w ith a fertile
w om an w ho would be able to bear
him children.
Should she die
soon after m arriage leaving no
issue her people w ere expected
to provide her youn ger sister or
a niece as a substitute w ife w ith ­
out fu rther “ lobola” paym ent.
Should she die fa irly young and
after having produced children
her sister w ould take her place
and “ lobola” o f h a lf the usual
am ount would be paid b y her
husband.
The levirate custom m eans that
should the husband
die,
the
w om an is not regarded as being
free to m arry again but has to
continue to live w ith h er hus­
band’s people, and if she is still
young, be accessible to her hus­
band’s younger brothers,
by
w hom she w ould bear children in
her husband’s name.
D O T H these custom s are, how ever breaking dow n in the
rural areas.
The first one is n ot
being observed, as the w om an ’s
people are reluctant to provide
a second w ife w ithout further
com pensation. T o guard against
such potential reluctance som e
fam ilies w ithhold the fu ll p a y ­
m ent o f “ lobola” until one or
m ore children have been born o f
the m arriage. The second custom
is breaking down, m ainly because
a w om an does n ot w ish to be
attached to a fam ily
and be
forced to live w ith brothers-inlaw w hom she m a y n ot like pa r­
ticularly. She prefers instead to
live alone or to find a lover or
new husband o f her ow n choice.
A n oth er reason fo r the break­
dow n is that the N ative areas
are becom ing so poverty-stricken
that the m aintenance o f a w idow
and possibly her children is a
burden that m any m en are
anxious to shirk.
¥N his w ork on “ The L ife and
Custom s o f the A m a -X osa ,” J.
S. S og a says o f
“ G OO D Y!
the old N ative ty p e o f m arriage,
com m on ly know n as N ative cus­
tom ary union, is still recognised
and in N atal legal provision has
been m ade fo r the registration o f
such unions.
There are now tw o oth er form s
o f m arriage— religious and civil.
R eligiou s m arriages are those
w here the parties are m arried
in a church to w hich one o r oth er
o f the parties belong. Those
churches that have been r e co g ­
nised b y the G overnm ent have
officially-appoin ted
m arriage
officers.
The m arriages solem ­
nised b y such officers are leg ally
valid, are registered and can on ly
be dissolved b y ju dicial decree o f
a com peten t court. W h ere the
m arriage cerem ony is perform ed
by a priest w ho is n ot recognised
as a m arriage officer, w hether he
belongs to a recognised church or
not, such m arriage is n ot legally
valid.
Chief's Consent
Civil m arriage is th a t per­
form ed in a m a gistrate’s court
or b y a civil m arriage officer. In
both religious and civil m a r­
riages, the m arriage has to con ­
form w ith the ordinary European
law s o f the country. B anns have
to be called o r a special licence
taken out.
The m a rital status
o f the parties concerned has to
In m any parts o f South A fr ic a be
The Forum, January 22, 1949
carefully
ascertained
“ lob ola”
(an
essential concom itan t o f N ative
cu stom a ry unions) “ T h e Bantu
in stitu ted the custom o f ‘lob ola ’
to preserve fa m ily and tribal
life.” H e claim s
that in
no
coun try, civilised o r uncivilised,
is there an y custom so pow erfu l
to secure the
status
of
the
r V E L O S T A N O U N C E .”
m arried w om an and to p rotect
— The New Yor\ Times. her fr o m ph ysical abuse.
and
I t is regrettable th a t the
w here possible the consent o f the N a tiv e cu stom ary union in its
parties’ C h ief and paren ts o b ­ traditional fo rm is fa s t disap­
tained.
pearin g fro m N ative urban life.
T riba l sanctions are also rapidly
fa llin g in to disuse, as is evidenced
’T 'H E N ative Com m issioner estib y the in stability o f sex relation­
m ates that rou gh ly h a lf o f ships; the h igh divorce rate; the
the leg al m arriages in Johannes­ decay o f the sense o f responsi­
bu rg are civil and h a lf religious. bility fo r w om en and children o f
W e have n o accu rate figures o f the com m u n ity; the breakdow n o f
au th ority
w ithin
the
fam ily
the proportion o f m arriages b y
grou p ; and the inevitable increase
N ative cu stom a ry union to those in general lawlessness and ju ven ­
b y religious o r civil rites. The ile crim e. In these circum stances
Senior Superintendent o f Orlando it is n ot surprising th at urban
says th at in hia experience, 40 N ative youths in m ost cases have
per cent, o f the "m a rria g es” in no lo y a lty to their parents and
Johannesburg
L ocation s
have do n ot ob ey them. T h ey often
been con tra cted a ccord in g to consider the older generation as
N ative custom , 10 p er cent, b y uneducated barbarians. M oreover
Christian o r civil rites, w hile 50 th ey have n o loy a lty to the E u ro­
per cent, o f the couples are n ot pean n o r do th ey fo llo w the
European code.
W e therefore
m arried bu t ju st live together.
have the special problem o f w hat
m igh t be described as a "m a r­
Living Together
ginal” you th w ho is on the frin g e
One o f the R an d L ocation o f both cultures, bu t has resolved
neither to his ow n satisfaction.
Superintendents reported
th at
“ ou t o f 200 cases o f dom estic
disputes brou gh t b e fo re me, in Social Conditions
129 cases the person s w ere
In surveyin g the social condi­
m erely livin g togeth er.
The
lon gest period o f such relation ­ tions under w hich N atives live
ship w as 16 y ea rs and there w ere in an industrial area such as
several o f 8, 7, and 6 y ea rs’ dura­ Johannesburg the question arises
tion. The average period, h ow ­ w hether m arriage as an insti­
ever,
w as
a p proxim a tely
2 tution has n ot lost its influence
years, sh ow in g the essentially and significance in urban N ative
tem p ora ry nature of such unions. life. W h a t can w e do to m eet
In 84 cases of those Involving this situ ation ?
Page IS
In France
it s
iiSante ”
..
In considering rem edies, w e tion as fa r as the adults are con ­
m igh t prudently seek the causes. cerned; unhealthy atm ospl' re for
A m on g st these I w ould m ention: children; and th at y ou n g couples
are forced to live w ith in-law s
1.
M IG R A T O R Y
LA B O U R . and oth er relations.
In 1936 overall m asculin ity in
Closely related to the problem
Johanesburg w as 357, i.e., 357
m ales to 100 fem ales. This had o f housing is that o f poverty.
a tw o-w a y effect— (a ) In urban In its “ Bantu B u dgets” the In ­
areas: C oncentration o f m ales stitute o f R a ce R elations esti­
w ith sca rcity o f fem ales— conse­ m ates the essential minim um ex­
quent
breakdow n
in
sexual penditure fo r a fam ily o f five
m orality, (b ) In rural areas: in Johannesburg as £12 18s. 6d.
D eserted w ives tend to prom is­ per m onth, against an average
cuity, so that the divided fa m ily fa m ily incom e o f £9 18s. Id.— a
tends to b reak dow n first o f all m on th ly incom e deficiency of
£3 Os. 5d. O nly too often illegal
in the rural area.
o r im m oral m eans are found to
It is pleasing to recall that the be the m ost practical w a y o f
last census taken in 1946 indi­ bridgin g the gap betw een incom e
cates an im provem en t in the and the cost o f living.
m asculin ity in Johannesburg. The
figure, exclu din g m ine N atives,
Housing
w as about 105.
The fa c ts disclosed in this
article indicate a disintegration
Public Opinion
o f Bantu ch aracter so serious as
2. B R E A K D O W N O F T R IB A L to dem and far-rea ch in g long-term
A F F IL IA T IO N S .
M oral
pres­ rem edial m ea su res.on a national
sure o f the rural patriarch al basis. It is obviou sly im pra ctic­
grou p has fallen aw ay. Kinship able fo r one individual in a short
bonds m u st alw ays fa ll or w eaken discussion to offer a com plete
w hen th ey are n ot supplem ented solution to one o f the m a jor
b y territorial bonds. F ollow in g problem s fa c in g South A frica.
inadequacy
of
housing;
on from the breakdow n o f tribal The
affiliations is the la ck o f public p ov erty; and the need o f educa­
opinion w hich condem ns irregu ­ tion (in the broadest sense) are
lar unions, im m orality, etc. Let im portan t fa c to r s in this situa­
m e quote fro m E llen H eilm an’s tion.
“ R o o iy a r d ” : “ A ll th e m en in
the Y ard have sw eethearts.
I
see plen ty o f strange m en com e
to the Y ard— the w om en sleep
w ith them. This happens in the
daytim e when the husbands are
aw ay. A ll the w om en m ake a
business o f it— n obod y tells the
husbands.”
but in South Africa
irs “ Gesondheid”
W IT H
It is obviou s that in an environ­
m ent w here adultery, illegitim acy
and prostitution, even i f n ot com ­
pletely condoned, are accepted
as
social n orm s and w here
"lo b o la ” is regarded as paym ent,
the foundations o f m arriage m ust
in evitably totter.
The m ost practical resolution I
can su ggest is th a t the attention
o f the M inisters o f (1 ) Native
A ffa irs and (2 ) H ealth, E du ca­
tion and Social W elfa re be invited
to the serious consequences to
European and N ative social life
o f the g ross inadequacy o f hous­
ing fo r N atives in U rban in­
dustrial areas.
3. L O B O LA . A ll the authorities
agree that the fu n ction
of
“ lob ola” is changin g fr o m a con ­
tr a c t to a com m ercial arran ge­
ment, i.e., the A frica n con cep ­
tion o f “ lob ola” as a guarantee
o f equilibrium is c h u ig in g to that
o f a purchase price.
Complications
THE BEST OF GOOD BRANDIES
4. O V E R C R O W D IN G D U E TO
IN A D E Q U A C Y O F H OUSIN G.
U nder presen t overcrow ded con ­
ditions, n orm al
m arried
life,
especially fo r you n ger people, is
im possible.
Com plications are cohabitation
w ith ou t privacy, inevitable fr ic ­
“ C R U M B LIN G D Y K E .”
— The Sacramento Bee.
Collection Number: AD1715
SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF RACE RELATIONS (SAIRR), 1892-1974
PUBLISHER:
Collection Funder:- Atlantic Philanthropies Foundation
Publisher:- Historical Papers Research Archive
Location:- Johannesburg
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