View/Open - University of Zululand Institutional Repository

A man who- 36 -suspected his wife of committing adultery,partook of a certain medicine called "UMSIZO",obtained from a mysterious power of conveyingdisease to the adulterer upon subsequent intercourse.The disease was also called "UMSIZO".If adultery was followed by pregnancy, the adulterinechild belonged to the husband of the wife whocommitted adultery and not to the child's naturalfather. 82)Adultery: !;Jya.;,illl.ariied';warnan c.:di:d, ,not "auto.mati:c.al}yentitle the husband to divorce his wife, unlessshe was an habitual offender. 83) The husbandcould, however, recover damages from the wife"slover. The amount of damages was filie,:herd ofcattle ,if the womanbecame pregnant, and threeherd of cattle if she did not. Divorce, however,as we know it, today, Qy judicial decree was unknownto the Zulu. A man could simply drive thewife away if there was sufficient cause, e.g.witchcraft, or insurbordination. 84)(e)ABDUCt'r'ON.Landsdown 85)defines abduction as the removalof an unmarried person from the custody of his/herparents, or other persons having control over himor her without their consent, with the objectof marrying or having sexual intercourse withhim or her. There were actions , in traditionalZululand conforming to th'e above definition.The custom of "UKU8ALEKA" is one example.this case the girl ran away to her sweetheart,an action which forced her parents to enter intomarriage negotiations. There was another variation 86)of the "UKUBALEKA" known as UKUTHWALAIn(to barry).82)83)84).85)86)KRIGE, E.J.:.op.cit., p. 157SCHAPERA, I.: op.cit., p. 205BRYANT, A.I.: op.cH., p. 601LANDSOOWN, C.W.H. & W.G. HOALpp. 1635-1636KRIGE, E,J.: op.cit., p. 126& A,V. LANDSDOWN: op.cit.,37/. '••••