The thin line between lobola and money laundering

Its no secret that the issue of lobola payment has started heated arguments and intellectual conversations. As expected the most people standing for the notion of not paying lobola are men and most women are for the payment of lobola. The question is, what’s the big deal?

Well, let’s start at the beginning. Just this week a lobola squad went viral after one of the members revealed dark life-changing secret. The story has instigated two important issues. The first is the idea of making DNA tests mandatory and the second is the cancellation of the lobola tradition.

So, what is the point of lobola payment after all? Well, culturally a man pays lobola to the parents of his wife as a token of his appreciation for such a beautiful wife. However, others argue that only virgin wives are to get lobola paid to make the deal fair and less risky. Others have suggested that either way it is too risky given the rise in issues similar to the lobola squad scandal so therefore lobola should be cancelled completely.

Some have taken it a step further and equated the payment of lobola to money laundering as they do not see the value of paying money for a person. However, regardless of what the argument against lobola might be, there is the element of tradition. If the custom is eradicated, what is left of our culture pertaining to marriages? Will we then lose ourselves completely to the west’s ‘white wedding’ traditions?

What are your thoughts?

Let us know in the comment section below.