Lobola
The southern African custom of bride wealth, traditionally paid in cattle by the groom's family.
Also: ilobolo, bohali, bogadi
Lobola, ilobolo in Zulu and Xhosa, is the gift made by a man's family to the family of his bride in many southern African cultures, among them the Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi, Ndebele, Sotho and Tswana. Traditionally it was given in cattle, and negotiations between the families, often led by uncles, set the number. It is understood to join two families rather than to buy a bride, and the cattle were linked with the ancestors through the homestead kraal. Today lobola is often reckoned in cattle but paid in money, though cattle are still given in rural areas. It remains widely practised and is part of customary marriage recognised by South African law.