Traditional wedding for royal princess

The royal Rammbuda family, which belongs to the Singo clan, one of the prominent Vhavenda clans in Vhembe, is known for doing things in a special and different way.

They are known for being industrious and for being the torchbearers in bringing development in the former Venda area.

When their daughter, Tshililo, tied the knot with Thembelani Dondolo at the weekend, it was a traditional affair.

The traditional wedding, held at the Thohoyandou Town Hall, was a mixture of two different cultures: Venda and Xhosa.

The wedding, which was hailed by many as Vhembe's  wedding of the year, saw many prominent people attending.  Among them were many chiefs from Vhembe and prominent figures from the Eastern Cape, including Dali Mpofu, who was part of the in-laws' entourage.

In true Venda royal tradition, the girls, who included white maidens who are friends of Tshililo, emerged clad in Venda traditional attire long after the stipulated time from the wedding house, concealed in blankets. There was the sound of Venda mouth organs doing the Tshikona dance, a Venda royal dance which accompanies the royals and done during important events.

At the hall, the in-laws were treated to the grueling task of identifying the bride, who was still concealed in a blanket. On two occasions they failed to locate the bride and they were made to pay a fine, as per tradition. There was a loud applause from the guests when they finally located her and unveiled her for all to see.

Vho Thovhele Gole Mphaphuli, one of the most senior and influential traditional leaders in Vhembe, commended the Rammbuda family for following tradition. He said most marriages did not last because people tended to forget the old ways of doing things. “We are here to pay our dues as traditional leaders. I am honoured because Rammbuda did the right thing by coming to the palace personally to invite me,” added Mphaphuli.

He said the marriage would strengthen the ties between the Xhosas and Vendas as they will from now on vist each other.

The second leg of the wedding was held on Monday at one of Polokwane's top hotels.

Date:12 December 2011

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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