Cultural Dynamics of Gender-Based Violence and Pastoral Care in South Africa

Abstract

This study looks closely at how everyday African cultural expectations — lobola, polygamy, "ukubekezela" (enduring/perseverance in marriage), and stigma against divorce or singleness — combine with patriarchal biblical interpretation to trap women in abusive marriages. It shows how pastoral care itself can unintentionally reinforce these pressures rather than relieve them. The authors describe how, in many communities, unmarried or divorced women face social exclusion even within church spaces — sometimes barred from wearing church uniforms or preaching — which pushes married women to stay silent about abuse rather than risk the shame attached to leaving. They also trace how the transfer of a father's protective role to a husband at marriage can leave women without anywhere to turn when abuse occurs, since a father who has accepted lobola may feel he can no longer intervene on his daughter's behalf.
Importantly, the authors don't frame culture as simply "bad" — lobola, for instance, is described as originally a gesture of respect between families, only becoming harmful once commercialised or misused as a claim of ownership. This nuance captures the distinction between which parts of culture are lifegiving, and which need to be revisited.