Abstract

The Vhavenḓa groups in the Vhembe district are related to each other. What is not known is how they come to be related. The reason is that they get married to their relatives. The other question is how family are involved in such marriages? Does any person arrange for someone to marry someone else? This paper seeks to investigate arranged marriage practices within the Vhavenḓa community. In particular, it seeks to probe the involvement of family members and tribal leaders in arranged marriages to establish their modus operandi. The paper is also motivated by the fact that the Vhavenḓa people are a close-knit community. This suggests that their consanguineous marriages may be deliberately organised. The research will focus on the people of the Vhembe district. The research will be carried out using the sociological approach (qualitative research design methodology) in the collection of data. The respondents will form part of the focus group, which will help them to express their views pertaining to arranged marriages.

Key words: Arranged marriage, practices, Vhavenḓa community, Vhembe district, Limpopo province, South Africa.