ABSTRACT
In one social media post by Tshwane LGBTQI Facebook group are customary wedding pictures of a young black lesbian couple. 1 Friends and family flank the happy couple and appear to be in a festive mood. It is a beautiful sight, set against the backdrop of a bustling township. From the pictures, it appears to be a customary wedding, as opposed to a religious or civil one. 2 Prior to the wedding ceremony, the ilobolo (bride wealth) negotiations and transmissions thereof would have been ironed out. 3 These negotiations are usually conducted between the elders from both the bride and groom (a butch identified lesbian in this case) families. These pictures exemplify a traditional cultural activity, which forms the basis of this chapter. Such traditional occurrences are approached here through a careful analysis of same-sex relationships and desires amongst black township women, how they negotiate customary marriage and kinship set against the backdrop of their everyday lives.
