NuVoice

 MARRIAGE VOWS: WHAT DO THEY REALLY MEAN?

Tlaki Baloyi                                                     09 August 2011

IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH, THROUGH THICK AND THIN, TILL DEATH DO US PART AND GO KGOTLELELA MATHATA A LELAPA.

Marriage vows are the foundation of many wedding ceremonies world-wide. They exist across a range of cultures, lifestyles and societies and from black to white, the richest to the poorest of the poor and from the most upmarket suburbs to the downright rural areas.

However, as time goes on, I have noticed that women seem to have lost the meaning of these words. They have lost the right interpretation of these words. Instead of these words working in favour of our mothers, sisters, girlfriends and aunts and in favour of their children or the society at large, the latest (misunderstood) meaning of these words now results in the fairer sex being hurt.

THROUGH THICK AND THIN, IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH, TILL DEATH DO US PART AND GO KGOTLELELA MATHATA A LELAPA. Well, let’s re-assess the meaning, the real meaning of these words this Women’s day. Let’s look at them again, so as to not only help South African women from this month onwards but also help millions of women across the globe, because I believe there are thousands of sayings in other languages in the world.

THROUGH THICK AND THIN, TILL DEATH DO US PART AND IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH does not actually mean that a woman should stay in an abusive marriage, so as go kgotlelela mathata a lelapa or because she promised to hang on in sickness and in health and through thick and thin.

TILL DEATH DO US PART does not mean that a woman should have to endure beatings, insults, rapes or have her rights disrespected because of the words I have mentioned. Enduring these kinds of things would eventually kill her and no, excuse me if I am wrong, but I believe that the death part in TILL DEATH DO US PART does not entail that. Seriously now, she could be beaten to death, insults would lead to stress, which will in turn reduce the days of her life and she could get HIV or STIs because of rape. No, that is not what IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH mean. I don’t think so.

GO KGOTLELELA MATHATA A LELAPA does not mean that a woman has to endure a man who demands her salary or wages. It does not mean that she has to stay on in a difficult marriage or put up with a husband who is always cheating. It actually means staying on when he is no longer working and struggles to put food on the table. Then if this is the problem then she can stay on and help fix the problem

                 Wendall Who?

Londiwe Dlomo                                              01 August 2011

The biggest upset of the weekend hands down goes to the Big Brother  Africa Amplified Finale. More upsetting than Amakhosi’s loss to Pirates and that weak penatly or should I say non- kick by Chiefs keeper Itumelang Khune.

 So there I and the whole South african nation are, glued to our tv screens already celebrating Luclays Victory when Bam! Out of left field, to use a baseball terminalogy,  who comes out tops? Karen and Wendall!

Karen, yes it was expected but Wendall? Come on, dubbed WenDull by some of the viewers, because of his rather unintersting presence in the house, this guy was gone already in the peoples mind.  While still numb from Luclays evication, I kept muttering Wendall who ? and I realised that everyone in the room had the same puzzeled expression.

  But a wise friend of mine wisely stated that hey mavbe Luclay did this to himself you know, I distinctly remember his comment “I can save my ass I don’t need the S.A peeps to have my back I’ve got this” Well boet it seems like you didn’t have it and Wendall did. So Congrats to the winners, I’m not gonna complain… that much.