Polyandry is a form of matrimonial union that entails one woman marrying or having two or more husbands. This kind of union has been exalted and cherished by several South Africans but also renounced by different opinionated citizens of the country.
The South African community has exuded a great interest in the suggestion for polyandry to be legitimized in the country. The year 2021 saw a rapid rise of inspirited debates and scholarly views on polyandry in South Africa. These scholarly and public engagements sought to conclude whether polyandry should be institutionalized in the country or not. Polyandry is a form of matrimonial union that entails one woman marrying or having two or more husbands. This kind of union has been exalted and cherished by several South Africans but also renounced by different opinionated citizens of the country.
This paper has utilized a qualitative method to fulfil its main objective, which is to conceptualize and appraise the proposal for the recognition of polyandry in the South African society. Moreover, supplementary data was acquired from journal articles, magazines, newsletters and other social media platforms such as Twitter. The paper finds that polyandry is a relatively new phenomenon in the South African society and most of the predominant cultural assumptions discard it. Polyandry has been perceived as alien and tabooed by several citizens of the country in question, probably, by virtue of its threat to polygamy, which most South African are well acquainted with and have normalized. Therefore, it is the cultural conventions that strengthen the repudiation of polyandry today. The research implications of this paper include the focus on, enactment of specific polyandrous unions such as fraternal, associated, Nayar polyandries, and their fundamental assumptions on a broader scale.
Guest: Makhosi Andile Ngubane
Guest: Mawethu Zita - A non-conforming individual, passionate about all issues pertaining to youth, LGBTQI+ and Disability
