There are still pockets of intransigency in the new South Africa. A so-called husband has taken his father-in-law to court to claim back his ilobolo because his wife ran away.

His wife is a minor and has sought protection after the two men exchanged cattle and her future to suit themselves.

It is time that old customs and patriarchal practices are finally jettisoned so that everyone can be free to choose their own destiny.

It is shameful that misogynists still treat their girl children as fodder to build family fortunes. It is equally abhorrent that a grown man can believe that ilobolo means he can treat a woman as a possession.

Perhaps President Jacob Zuma's moral committee can create jobs for the youth by sending ambassadors to the four corners of South Africa to educate people about human and gender rights.