A newlywed woman from South Africa’s Free State province has reportedly been sent back to her parents just days after her traditional wedding in Masvingo after her family discovered almost R7,000 in counterfeit notes among the lobola money, a tabloid in Zimbabwe has reported.
Thandolwenkosi Dlamini had been in a relationship with Takudzwa, from Masvingo, for three years before their families began and completed the traditional marriage negotiations.
The bride’s family initially demanded more than R30,000 in lobola but later agreed to reduce the amount to R20,000.
The couple’s families agreed that R15,000 would be paid upfront, with the remaining R5,000 to be settled in instalments.
The negotiations were reportedly completed without incident, paving the way for the couple’s traditional wedding in Masvingo two days later.
However, the celebrations were short-lived.
Two days after the wedding, the bride’s family discovered that almost R7,000 of the money paid as lobola was allegedly counterfeit.
Thandolwenkosi was subsequently ordered to return to her parents’ home while the circumstances surrounding the fake notes were investigated.
Takudzwa’s family reportedly claims that the genuine money was replaced while it was being kept in Masvingo by a close family member who had been entrusted with safeguarding it.
The family has denied that the money was deliberately substituted by Takudzwa or his immediate relatives.
The bride’s family has reportedly opted against reporting the matter to the police, preferring to resolve the dispute amicably between the two families.
The circumstances surrounding how the suspected counterfeit notes came into the lobola payment remain unclear.
The families are now expected to engage each other in an effort to establish what happened to the original money and determine how the matter can be resolved without further damaging the newly established marriage.
