Siyabonga Kalipa
A Gauteng entrepreneur is running a website that takes the age-old lobola ceremony online, putting marriage negotiations, contracts and private consultations a mere mouse click away.
But while some welcome the innovation as a response to the demands of a modern lifestyle, others have criticised it as a threat to the culture of lobola, a centuries-old tradition requiring the man to pay a negotiated price to the family of his bride-to-be.
Mpho Lebogo, the founder of www.lobolaonline.co.za said he had launched the site in 2008 in an effort to reach out to people in the country and around the world.
The website offers access to negotiators who help with the negotiation process. The initial cost for this service is R2,000 plus 2.5% of the lobola money required by the inlaws. Further phases of negotiations cost R1,000. Livestock is not accepted as payment.
The website also offers private consultation services on matters like second wife marriage, damage maintenance, pregnancy before marriage, child access and the return of lobola money if a dispute arises.
Lebogo would not provide information on people who had used his website, saying this was confidential.
But a snap survey asking people what they thought of the concept turned up mixed responses, even though none of them had actually seen the site.
Mlungiseleli Tyatya, a resident of Milnerton in Cape Town, said the modern lifestyle of many people needed to be considered.
“If you stay in Gauteng and the woman you want to marry is from Gauteng but your family is in the Eastern Cape, you will have to transport them on top of paying lobola,” he said.
And he argued that with foreign nationals marrying South African women, there was a need for people who understood the culture to negotiate on their behalf.
“I think it is a good idea,” he said.
But not everyone agrees.
Chairperson of the Western Cape Diverse Traditional Leaders Forum Chief Michael Tollman Fadana said the concept was “a bad idea” for the culture of lobola because people would see it as “the easy way of doing things”.
“They are just making business out of our traditions,” he charged.
Marriage was not only about two people, he said, but involved bringing two families and their ancestors together.
“How are they going to talk with ancestors?” he asked.
Thandolwethu Ntyikwe, of Du Noon in Cape Town, said the whole process of lobola negotiations was intended for the families involved to get to know each other.
“Now if you pay online you only click click and everything is done. I would never want my lobola paid online.”
Another Cape Town resident, Imita Simani, said: “Online is rubbish. It is making a mockery of tradition.”
Simani said he saw nothing wrong with the traditional way of doing things where elders got together and came to an agreement.
“Why change it when it is not broken? Technology is growing bigger and better everyday but we should not let it interfere with our customs and traditions.”
But Lebogo, who admits that “few” people have used the site, said: “The critics are my strongest point because I want to prove them wrong and show them this can work.” — West Cape News
Copyright 2009 West Cape News
this is really shit… if technology does this to people then we are living in a fake world
The concept is great as it solves problems like using the contract for marriage in traditional way, unlike, our tradinational leaders who failed to come up with innovative solution like LOBOLA CONTRACT but prefers to use white man’s solution like A.N.C Marriage Contract or CIVIL CERTIFICATE. DEPT of Home Affairs also has such a document on their ONLINE called ACKNOWLEDGEMENT RECEIPT OF LOBOLA PAYMENT and the same document was drafted by who?. When will black people embrace their own innovation that protect tradition in the modern way that makes life easy for those who cannot even spell or write their own names but rely on their children who have degrees from the universities to interpret and read documents on their behalf?
Wake up black people you fought for freedom so that your black children can improve your lifestyle and this lobolaonline website is a great innovation in the black community but I suppose if you are black you will always think darkeness more than brightness. White people are for ever innovating within their evolving culture and they suppose their own initiative. And yet you expect BEE to be implemented by white own institutions why not you TRADITIONAL LEADERS, stop criticising and think outside the BOX. Support your own black entrepreneurs.
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im so confused i want to get this page savd to my ipodtouch so my friend can see it, but i cant figure out how.. can any 1 explain to me how please??
I think this is a good, my Fiance is a foreigner, instead of him cominh here to pay lobola i think he can jask negotiators and just come for the wedding
Yho, you know what. I’m staying out of the countrty and my partner will be paying lobola in a few months to come, his family is residing in Gauteng and mine in KZN but we will all travel for that day, no matter where we are, we should just make means to meet for negotiations. This is our culture, I really feel like this is degrading our culture. I like it the old-fashioned way.