Lobola Importance, Payment Procedure and Preparations??

What is the Purpose of Lobola?

In Southern Africa, just like every other region in Africa, lobola or bride price payment is a very important aspect of traditional weddings.Though expensive and time consuming, the practice of lobola appears to express the man’s determination and promise to provide for the woman and their family.

How Many Cows are in a Lobola?

Lobola is the practice of offering cows or equivalent sum of money from the groom to the bride’s family. The going rate in Zulu communities is 11 cows for a bride.

This number may go up or down depending on certain factors. For example, if you want to marry the daughter of a chief, you may have to cough up a dozen more cows than the status quo. If the woman has a child out of wedlock, you may knock off a cow or two.

Most young men do not have 11 cows at their disposal due to the cost, so the payment of lobola is stretched out across many years. And as times change, so do traditions so it is acceptable to pay the cash equivalent instead of actual livestock. This would be ideal especially for people living in the cities.

The cost of cows vary depending on the size and other factors. But on the average, a cow may cost up to R10,000 ($1,000). Therefore, many men will work well into their 30’s and even 40’s to pay off the lobola, before they are able to have the official wedding ceremony.

Most couples will have children well before the lobola is paid off and the wedding concluded with an official ceremony.