Ilobolo, the bride price that comes ‘at a price’ and the narratives of gender violence in Mamelodi, a South African township

Abstract

Ilobolo, an age-old practice among black South Africans, is the bride price paid by the bridegroom and his family for his wife. It serves as exchange between two families to legitimise a relationship skewed towards ‘relocating the woman to a new household’. The ilobolo is usually paid in the form of cattle, cash, or both, before the marriage ceremony. While this ‘mark of honour’ is every woman’s dream, it sits at the core of what has often been described as ‘the culture of violence’ in many South African homes. How does this ancient practice instigate or promote violence, and how does the society perceive the gender violence resulting from ilobolo? Employing qualitative data in its analysis, this paper examines these questions in the light of this form of violence that has made South Africa one of the countries with the highest rate of femicide in the world.

Keywords: South Africa, domestic violence, ilobolo, culture, patriarchy, gender