CUSTOMARY MARRIAGE AND FAMILY PRACTICES THAT DISCRIMINATE AGAINST AMAXHOSA WOMEN: A CRITICAL STUDY OF SELECTED ISIXHOSA LITERARY TEXTS BY PHELIWE YVONNE MBATYOTI Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF LITERATURE AND PHILOSOPHY in the FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES of the UNIVERSITY OF FORT HARE SUPERVISOR: Professor C.R. Botha Date submitted: JUNE 2018 DECLARATION I Pheliwe Yvonne Mbatyoti, student number 200600881 declare that CUSTOMARY MARRIAGE AND FAMILY PRACTICES THAT DISCRIMINATE AGAINST AMAXHOSA WOMEN: A CRITICAL STUDY OF SELECTED ISIXHOSA LITERARY TEXTS is my own work, and that it has not been submitted before for any degree or examination in any other university. Student: Pheliwe Yvonne Mbatyoti Signature: Date: 30 June 2018 i DEDICATION I dedicate this work to my mother Mrs. Mbatyoti Nonani Nosipho Gladys for her unconditional support and motivation in all my endeavours in life. To my children I say follow your LIGHT. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Special thanks goes to my Supervisor Prof C.R. Botha for his tireless support and encouragement, during this long road to success, Sukwini you are a guardian angel in times of need. To my colleague, Dr Z W Saul, for his support during my studies. Appreciation is also extended to Qhama, Phiwe and Siyanda for believing in my capabilities, Ozoemena Ababalwe, my grandchild you kept me company all the way, uThixo akusikelele. iii ABSTRACT In many parts of Africa, the cultural practices and customs that were in use over the ages are still largely in place today. Many of these practices discriminate against individuals and compromise their human rights, particularly the rights of African women. The aim of this investigation is to study customary marital practices among the amaXhosa in order to establish their effect on modern amaXhosa society. In addition, this includes other discriminatory practices, such as the diminished status of wedded women. Within the study, the social status of women before and after 1994 is dealt with as depicted in the selected texts. The study further determines the current social status of married women under the current dispensation and finds out whether the rights of married women are sufficiently recognised in the texts under discussion. It is clear therefore that whilst Africa has made good progress on the political front, the same cannot be said for some of the cultural values that are still adhered to in the present age. This applies in particular to the rights of women in an African society. Globally, women and girls suffer the harmful and life-threatening effects of discriminatory traditional and cultural practices that continue under the guise of social, cultural and religious ceremonies. In the democratic South Africa, there is growing concern and awareness that some cultural practices are harmful to women and girls. The study analyses a number of texts namely, novels and drama, that were published before and after the 1994 era in South Africa with aims and objectives being outlined in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 is devoted to the theoretical framework, which includes the general theory pertaining to the status of women, feminism and human rights. Secondly, it deals with African theory pertaining to the status of African women as well as their rights; finally, it reflects on the role of women in societies where traditional marriage custom is still in use. Chapter 3 analyses the depiction of customary marriage as a theme in isiXhosa prose before and after 1994. Chapter 4 examines the depiction of customary marriage in iv isiXhosa drama before and after 1994 and focuses more on human rights elements. Chapter 5 summarises the arguments distilled from the analysed works. The researcher came to the conclusion that the practice of forced marriage does not occur in amaXhosa society only but it is also found on a wider scale on the rest of the African continent and beyond. The study was concluded with a set of recommendations that were made to combat the scourge of anti-feminism that is found in modern society. v AMAGQABANTSHINTSHI Kwiindawo ezininzi zaseAfrika, ukwenziwa kwamasiko nesithethe ezazisakuba zisetyenziswa mandulo ziseseqobelweni unanamhla oku. Uninzi lwezi zithethe ziyacalula kwabanye zihlangabeze namlungelo abo de kuthi amalungelo abasetyhini baseAfrika. Injongo yolu phando kukufunda ngamasiko nesithethe zomtshato emaXhoseni ngemfezeko yesimiselo seziphumo sentlalo yamaXhosa kula maxesha empucuko. Ngaphezulu, oku kuquka nesenzo socalulo lwezinye izithethe ezinjengokuthobeka kwesidima sabatshati ababhinqileyo. Kwakolu phando, isimo sasekuhlaleni sabafazi ngaphambi nasemva kowe-1994 njengoko kuboniswa kwiincwadi ezikhethiweyo. Uphando lukwabonisa isimo sentlalo sakalokunje sabafazi abatshatieyo phantsi kwesabelo sale mihla nokufumanisa ukuba Ingaba ilungelo labo batshatileyo liyanezwa kusinina ngokweencwadi ezikhethiweyo kusiina. Kuselubala ke ngoko ukuba noxa iAfrika seyenze indima encomeka kangaka nje ngokwepolitiki, koswa oko akungetshiwo ngokuphahelene namasiko nezithethe ezisakha amanzi ngophondo kule mihla. Oku kunxamnye namalungelo abasetyhini ekuhlaleni kwamaAfrika. Jikelele abafazi namantombazana bayabulaleka zizinto ezicalulayo nezoyikekayo emasikweni athi athabathe iindawo egameni yeziyunguma zentlalo, amasiko nenkolo. KuMzantsi Afrika okhululekileyo kukho ihlumelo nomqondo othi ezinye izithethe namasiko zinobungozi kubafazi neentombi. Isifundo sihlalutya iqaqobana leencwadi ezizezi, inoveli, nedrama ezipapashwe phambi kowe-1994 nasemva koko kweli loMzantsi Afrika ngenjongo zokuphumeza imigomo nemigqaliselo ethi idandalaziswe kwisahluko sokuqala. Isahluko sesibini sivandlakanya ingcingane yethiyori nequka ithiyori gabalala ngokwesimo sabafazi, impembelelo yokulwela amalungelo obufazi kwanamalungelo abasetyhini. Okwesibini, ihlahluba ithiyori yobuAfrika ngokuphathelene nesimo sabasetyhini ekuhlaleni apho izithethe zomtshato ziseseluchochoyini ngokwamalungelo; ekugqibeleni, zibonakalisa indima vi yabafazi ekuhlaleni apho umtshato usasetyenziswayo. Isahluko sesithathu siphenya isiboniso somtshato wesiNtu widrama yesiXhosa phambi nasemva kowe-1994 ze zigqale ngakumbi kumasolotya amalungelo abantu. Isahluko sesihlanu sishwankathela ingxoxo nedidiyelwe kumsebenzi ohlalutyiweyo. Umphandi ufikelele kwisigqibo sokuba isenzo somtshato onyanzelweyo asenzeki kuphela emaXhoseni koko sifumaneka ngokuthe gabalala kwilizwekazi leAfrika nangaphaya. Uphando luye lwaqukunjelwa ngotho lwezindululo ezithe zaqulunqwa ukulwa imbatyulo yokungabinampembelelo yokulwela amalungelo abasetyhini efumaneka kuluntu lwanamhlanje. vii KEY WORDS Customary traditional practices Marriage Men Patriarchy Society Tradition Women Polygamy viii ACRONYMS ACRWC - African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of Children 1990 ANC – African National Congress ANCWL- African National Congress Women’s League CEDAW - Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women CGE - Commissioner for Gender Equality CRC - Convention on the Rights of the Child ICCPR - International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ICESCR -Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights NAPPHR - National Action Plan for the Protection of Human Rights RCMA - Recognition of Customary Marriage Act ix CONTENTS DECLARATION ................................................................................................................................................ i DEDICATION .................................................................................................................................................. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................................ iii ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................................................... iv AMAGQABANTSHINTSHI .............................................................................................................................. vi KEY WORDS ................................................................................................................................................ viii ACRONYMS .................................................................................................................................................. ix CHAPTER 1 .................................................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY .................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 The Research problem ................................................................................................................... 2 1.3. Purpose of the study ...................................................................................................................... 3 1.4 Research questions ......................................................................................................................... 3 1.5 Research objectives ........................................................................................................................ 3 1.6 Theoretical framework ...................................................................................................................