Customary law of inheritance in traditional Ndebele families as depicted in selected Ndebele works of art

Abstract

This article examines how the Customary Law is observed and applied in traditional Ndebele families. It specifically traces and investigates the application of the Customary Law of Inheritance in monogamous, polygamous and the royal Ndebelefamilies. The analysis is drawn from the existing Customary Law, however changed, as well as from how inheritance related issues are expressed and handled in Ndebele novels, drama and poetry. Furthermore, the article highlights some of the major challenges currently faced in the application of this law. It concludes by stating that the Customary Law of Inheritance should not remain static but ought to be dynamic and undergo changes and modifications that are in tandem with the prevailing socio-economic conditions of the times.