of not allowing women to actively take part in the negotiations. Ivulamlomo is a key process to the negotiation as negotiations cannot begin until this traditional act has been observed. Often, to dispel any tensions between the families, in modern times a bottle of brandy is placed on the table; however, this is not required nor is the vulamlomo limited to brandy, and it can be traditional sorghum beer or cash. This is usually not drunk; it is simply a gesture to welcome the guest family and make everyone feel more relaxed, and it is known as ivulamlomo, which, literally translated, is isiXhosa for mouth opener (Sotho pulamolomo) i.e. price for opening your mouth (to speak) to express the purpose of your visit. It is up to the potential wife's delegation to decide whether to make use of the alcohol or keep it closed. Lobolo cannot be paid in full in one go, the groom's delegation will need to come again after the first negotiations to finish paying for their bride-to-be. Once the lobolo has been paid in full then the next step follows which is called izibizo, which can happen on the day when lobolo negotiations are concluded. This step involves the groom's delegation giving the bride's family according to the list that was issued presents, which may include blankets, pinafores, doeks, shawls, and three-foot pots or grass mats for women and coats, walking sticks, hats, beer pots for men. There is then a celebration to mark the occasion. Amount It is generally accepted that cows, at a minimum, are required in a lobolo within the Zulu and Xhosa cultures. While differing customs within various regions may contribute to determining the amount of the cash value of each cow, it also depends on the negotiation prowess of the representatives or oonozakuzaku. In modern times, there has been growing controversy around the amount demanded in certain families deemed by spectators as unreasonably excessive. Today, negotiations involve setting a price for a single cow and then multiplying the agreed price by the number of cows the new bride is deemed to be worth. The amount due is affected by many different factors including, but not limited to, the education level of the prospective bride, the financial means of the prospective spouses, and whether the prospective bride (or groom) already has children. Semanya (2014) claims that even high-profile figures such as Nelson