Zimbabwe's Cultural Heritage

Polygamy for a special purpose

20 Polygamy for a special purpose When the Sunday News published an article about Mr Italy Khumalo, who wed two brides, many people took a keen interest. While some hailed Khumalo for reviving an old Ndebele custom, others were not amused. The marriage arrangement in question was no ordinary polygamy, which is still alive in Zimbabwe today. Rather, it was about how that polygamy came about. Before delving into the matter, it is appropriate to note certain relevant principles pertaining to marriage. Marriage was a contract, not between two spouses, but between two families. The families extended to include the departed ancestors. In this regard, it was not only the husband who had an interest in the bride, the extended family also did. Marriage was an economic contract between the two families. The bride’s family received lobola, usually in the form of cattle, in exchange for their daughter, who was viewed as a provider of labour through the children she would bear for the groom’s family. This arrangement is what one author has called ‘cattle for wives’. As implied above, the most important function of the marriage institution was to bring children into the world – hence the bride was told ‘ufike uveze abantu’ or ‘ufike ugenquke’. The wife’s worth was determined by, among other considerations, whether or not she bore children for the groom’s family. The bride’s family benefited from the marriage of their daughter. The bride’s father, under normal circumstances, would give a beast to each of his brothers. This is called ukutshayela abafowenu. The inability to produce children, by either husband or wife, was socially resolved. Not having children carried a stigma that was avoided at all cost. Arrangements were made to circumvent the problem. The bride’s family had an obligation to ensure that their daughter bore children for her husband’s family. Should their daughter prove to be barren, another of their daughters, almost always younger, would take over the function of bearing children for her. The process is called ukuvusa amaseko. The critical belief was that ‘imuzi ngumuzi ngomlilo’. Children are the expected result of a marriage. Related to this was the fact that marriage was an irreversible contract. Only witchcraft and adultery, and probably insanity, were enough reason to nullify the contract. The bride’s people, having taken delivery of the wealth of 21 lobola, did not want to lose it. Hence the saying ‘lizidle lizibeke amathambo’ (‘eat them, but keep the bones’). To avoid the husband demanding back the cattle, his in-laws sent him a compensatory wife. Such a wife was called inhlanzi. She could be a younger sister of the barren wife, her brother’s daughter, her maternal uncle’s daughter (umzawakhe) or her paternal uncle’s daughter. When the father-in-law had no other daughters to be given away as inhlanzi, his brothers, by accepting ukutshayelwa, obligated themselves to providing a substitute. Two different cases of how inhlanzi came about need elaboration. The first case was when, during the marriage, the bride was given a maid specifically to take care of the eventuality of barrenness. This occurred especially when the daughter was being married into a rich family and there was a lot at stake by way of wealth. A good example is when Mwaka Nxumalo, Nkulumane’s mother, got married to King Mzilikazi. The Nxumalos sent, among other maids, Fulatha Tshabalala, who was Mwaka’s cousin. If Mwaka had proved barren, Fulatha would have borne the heir to the throne. Mzilikazi and Fulatha did have a child, Lobengula, and the latter’s claim to the Ndebele throne was based on this marriage custom, with Nkulumane having disappeared. In the more common form, inhlanzi was sent (notice the initiative was taken by the barren wife’s family) after barrenness had been proved. If after two or three years the wife had not conceived, engaphathanga, it was concluded she was barren. In Ndebele they would say inyoka yakhe kayithathi and various herbal formulations would be tried. The husband would also be given, in an earthen pot, imbiza in order to ‘sharpen’ him, ukumlola or ukumcandula. The wife sometimes went back to her own family and on arrival, wailed and rolled herself on the ground, bangenze isiduli. They have turned me into an anthill. Ngiswele lesikhusukhuswana. I can’t get a child. Bangicuyile. They have bewitched me. Her family would discuss which girl to give as her inhlanzi. It was left to the husband whether...