191).

             The unique marriage customs of the Shona further distinguish them from the other South African people. For the Shona, marriage is a process; there is no particular point when two people suddenly become married. The main purpose of marriage, the Shona believe, is the procreation of children, so a man is permitted to engage in intercourse with his wife-to-be before they have become accepted as a married couple. If she proves infertile, he is fully within his rights to return her to her family and either be repaid his bride-price or be given another daughter as a wife. If it can be proven that a man is sterile, it is shameful but not disastrous and he can discreetly arrange for someone else to impregnate the woman. The child that is then born is considered his own (p.197). .

             The government has outlawed polygamy but it still occurs, although most men can afford only one wife. Divorce, however, is quite common. A man can divorce his wife if she is infertile or if she does not fulfill her obligations. Serious failure as a housewife, repeated infidelity, and the practice of witchcraft can all lead to a woman being sent back to her family by her husband. While it is more difficult for a woman to divorce her husband, it is possible if she can produce evidence of physical abuse or if he fails to keep up his bride-price payments (p.201).

             Bride-price is the payment to a woman"s family by the husband that wishes to marry her; it involves two payments. The first, the rutsambo, used to be a utility object like a hoe, but nowadays is usually a large cash payment. The second payment, the roora, involves a second large cash payment or, sometimes, the more traditional payment of cattle. The groom may take many years to finish paying the roora, partly because it might take him that long to raise it, and partly because he is often disinclined to hand over all the cash until he is fully satisfied that his wife will fulfill all of her obligations.