The Non Governmental Organisations’ Coordinating Council (NGOCC) has noted the ongoing debate that has engrossed the country on whether government should regulate or abolish the payment of bride price commonly referred to as “Lobola” in Southern Africa.
As an organization, we note that payment of bride price in Zambia called “Lobola”, “Chimalo”, “Impango”, “Lubono“ and so forth, depending on what part of the country one comes from, is a tradition that defines how we as a people celebrate our marriage rite. However, NGOCC is deeply concerned with the commercialisation of “Lobola” which is de-humanising to women and girls, who are treated as commodities, chattels and sex objects.
Some families are literally using Lobola as a way to make capital and making women and girls as commodities for sale. It is such practices that have led to the misconception that paying Lobola condemns women into commodities that would be abused by men. The high Lobola fee being charged is considered as a price paid for the transfer of a woman’s sexual and economic rights to her husband and his family. It is no doubt that the high Lobola charge has a negative effect on the marital stability and has contributed to the rise in child/early marriages and violence against women and girls.
We call on government through the Ministry of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs working with Traditional leaders that are custodians of our customs and traditions to guide the country on how to positively establish a marriage contract between two families without destroying the wellbeing of the couple thereafter.
There is also need to sensitize communities that the payment of Lobola should not place women into slavery. A human life is priceless and therefore society must be made to understand that women and girls should never be made commodities for sale to the highest Lobola bidder. Marriage should respect human rights, integrity and dignity of both women and men.
Issued;
for/NGOCC
Sara H. Longwe
Chairperson
Why pay high Lobola for someone whose virginity was lost or enjoyed by a blesser?
Why pay more for an Engine whose piston hole is at 60?
Kikikiki iwe we got kids on this site, abena terrible, kudos, peace for Zambia, notwashala tumbi.
We cannot refuse to pay Lobola but we want it to be reasonable (price wise) and the girls to respect there bodies otherwise paying for someone who has aborted pregnancies and has bad behaviors and might even kill you when you marry her is not fair.
Tell them bru to understand ever I girls or not let’s cut off high payments.
Let people who don’t have lobola in their cultures stick with their traditions. There’s no uniform single culture in Zambia. At the last count, we had 72 tribes in Zambia. Don’t worry about other people’s cultures and traditions. Stick with your own.
Interesting affair, start virginity testing to determine the price. If its in “020” that has been overhauled the K10. Also Damage charge should be revised. Its too expensive.. some charging K25,000 Hmmm true capital and enticing girls to get pregnant..
I was 22 and my Lobola was K6 million. As soon he paid, I went back to my parents to chew that money and fled the country, kikikik
First abolish Chiefs!
You might as well debate whether it is necessary to uphold cultural practices that define ethnicity. The valid point to discuss is the “Commercialization of Lobola!”
By the way does the word “Lubono” hold the same meaning as “Lobola?” if reference of of the word is Southern province?
You absolutely right lubono has got nothing to do with lobola,
We have ng’ombe ya chiiko, ng’ombe ya chiilezu, ng’ombe to do with the girl’s mother, if you want to appreciate the girls parents further you can add some more ng’ombe, plus maamba.
Once these are fulfilled, you are good to go.
These two maambas or hoes you give the girls parents, they will be kept by the girls parents as long as you are together, and can only be returned if you divorce. What a beautiful tradition.
We shouldn’t even be discussing this because it is our culture. Also with poverty so high under pf, lobola is only way for some families to make ends meet by selling their daughters
Woman has always been a high priced commodity. There’s nothing cultural about paying lobola. It’s simply a commercial transaction involving the exchange of money/cows/chickens/goats for a woman. In fact the more money you have the more wives you can purchase. Lobola / Impango / Lubono are terms cleverly calculated to take the curse out of this sordid human trafficking business. If you have love for each other and want to live together as husband and wife, where is the need to pay her parents money? In some cultures in South Africa a woman can be sold many times at the same cost of 12 – 15 cows. Since there isn’t a shortage of suckers the wife buying business keeps growing exponentially.
Probably we must regulate the value….no education should have its value,followed by G7,followed by G9,followed by G12, followed by college qualification, followed by university qualification…..
We need to abolish chiefdoms they are they are the cornerstone of witchcraft, why for example drink cattle blood, for what reason if not witchcraft.
“Chiko” and not lubono. If you have not paid it the children born out of that couple is traditionally considered not to be yours.
Lots of tongas on the site. Explains why we have so many anti Pf on LT. This subject was meant to reveal who belongs to which tribe. Now we know you 1diots.
So you got a problem with that maza faka?
It is not the lobola that generates the mistreatment of the women but the inner being of certain individuals. The majority of mwenye mistreat their spouses regardless that the women are the ones who pay to marry. The children know they have father and mother whether you have paid the subject matter or not.
When you talk about Indians you are forgetting the role of religion. Islam especially reminds women of subserviency and makes men controllers
Marry a Tonga you will see the problems if u didn’t finish payments she will be going out with other guys
kaili nima hule…especially Ilas!
Ya this is important as is most of our rich culture but you find wives even in plot one having side kicks, others pretend to work weekends or go on tours only to carry a joza, some even go to the extent of flying their jozas to faraway places so you ask what has happened to culture might as well throw everything to the wind and liv and let die…
No Virginity No lobola. Take it or leave it.
Yayaya its a problem.