Mbatha, Zilungile Pearl.Tsiri, Nicholas.2025-12-012025-12-0120242024https://hdl.handle.net/10413/24186Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The payment of lobola has not proven to benefit the marriage or union in terms of socioeconomic activities. The indirect loss of capital by families from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, particularly in the black middle class may be devastating. People especially males, do mundane jobs that are not paid very well to save for both lobola and activities related to the wedding celebration. The amount used to conduct weddings and for lobola is the money that can be used for necessities for the household since starting a new and independent living, start-up business and facilitation of future financially sustainable activities for the newlyweds. In contemporary South Africa, it is highly demanding to prepare for the future economically alongside the high price of education, soaring percentage of unemployment and lack of business start-ups funding and subsidization by both government and private sector. The payment of lobola is not only about the couple and the belief that will receive blessings from both the ancestors and the elders but also about unionizing both families. However, the upholding of the activity has not yielded any direct socio-economic investment or upliftment to the wedded couples directly. The total bulk money that is used by or between the newlyweds is also an intent to advance their commitment to one another. It is also for the fulfilment of their cultural mandate of a conventional marriage as bridewealth/lobola or dowry may not make financial sense in terms of investment and economic development. The shifting of the “normal” way of requesting a hand in marriage by the groom’s family to the bride’s family. Instead the total bulk money benefits the newlyweds directly as a couple with an intent to start their lives in marriage with a good capital to balance their financial lives. The major focus is to move the newlyweds out of harm’s way of debt as they will be starting new lives. This will give the marrying couples a positive buying power as they will be embracing a change in terms of property and financial investments. The Department of Home Affairs provides a readily available service for people to receive a certificate of their union in marriage, making their union legal. The activity of planning for a wedding and saving for both lobola and wedding is an asset-based mechanism which may be redirected or have the purpose reviewed. The purposes of lobola should evolve as life evolves, contemporarily cost of living is unmanageable with the social media wooing people into lavish lifestyles which leaves many communities trapped in lack of financial development. Many communities within South Africa lack job opportunities and business start-ups, and they are expecting local municipalities and national government to aid their business activities. A fair financial start in marriage is likely not to lead people into being government liabilities when approaching old age. Most wedded couples get into their matrimonial engagements with a load of debts, especially from previous arrangements such as loans for university fees. This study explores the possibility of a trade-off between bridewealth and investment and a start-up for small businesses, rather than marriage without financial stability. The economic stability of every community starts within its own nucleus being the family unit. In-depth semi-structured interviews were found to be the appropriate method for collecting data and the snowballing sampling technique has been used because of the sensitivity of the phenomena. The use of thick descriptions was also a necessity. The study has established that the involvement of parents in the lobola negotiation process surely varies from household to household. Commonly, the parent’s engagement will either break or mend the marriage of their children. Another establishment of the use of question studies that mimics the study objectives is that men in marriage are carrying a huge financial burden while their partners pay less attention. Husbands need more financial assistance but many times their male ego does not allow them to be seen as vulnerable and needy. Men feel that if there is any financial assistance from elsewhere, it would also cause their partners to lose respect for them.enCC0 1.0 Universalhttp://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/Bride price.Bridewealth.Newly married couples.Thesis