“He Paid Lobola in 1986”: KZN Man Honours His SA Roots With His Austrian Father

• Survivor SA winner Rob Bentele shared a photo of himself and his father dressed in traditional Zulu animal skins
• His father paid lobola and married his Zulu mother in 1986, at a time when interracial marriages in South Africa were only just becoming legal
• Many shared their thoughts with pride, laughter and a few questions about the traditional attire the two were wearing

Rob Bentele, winner of Survivor SA and a contestant on Survivor Australia vs The World, shared a photo on 15 May 2026 that got South Africans talking. In the picture, Rob and his father stood side by side in traditional Zulu animal skins, looking proud and rooted. Rob used the post to tell the story behind his upbringing in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal.

His father, a young Austrian man, had been backpacking across the globe when he found his way to the rural areas of Mtubatuba, a small community called eMakhambane. He met Rob's Zulu mother there, paid lobola, and the two got married in 1986. The family started their life together in a caravan on the family homestead, and Rob and his sister grew up immersed in rural Zulu culture before eventually moving to Empangeni.

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What does lobola mean?

Lobola is a negotiated token of appreciation from the groom's family to the bride's family. It's rooted in building a bond between two families rather than buying a spouse.

According to Goldman Schultz Attorneys, there is no fixed legal amount for lobola. It is negotiated between families with regard to culture and circumstances, and can be paid in cash, livestock, gifts or a combination of all three.

A love story rooted in a difficult time

When Rob's parents got married in 1986, interracial marriages in South Africa had only just become legal. The ban on mixed marriages was lifted on 14 June 1985, and the couple married just a year later.

It was not an easy time for couples like them, with many facing hostility and living in a country still deep in apartheid. That his Austrian father chose to stay, pay lobola, and build a life in rural KZN makes the story stand out even more.

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View the Facebook post below:

Mzansi loves Rob's Zulu roots

South Africans had a lot to say about the photo and the family's story on Rob's Facebook page:

@antonio.hartley wrote:

"That's great, bro. I got my family living in a Zulu community to encourage them to learn the culture."

@sizakele.sizoh declared:

"When we shout 'Hlangana Zulu!!!', your family must join us. You are us, we are you. Hesheee mbhemu."

@martin.magwaza pointed out:

"Incredible history, thanks for sharing with us, Rob. Just a point of correction, your father did not pay Lobola, he Lobola'd. Lobola is a verb, not a noun. It's a cultural means test, not a fine or transactional tool."

More on interracial love and cultural pride

• Briefly News recently reported on a Durban family who went viral after sharing a video of themselves dressed in matching traditional outfits.
• A young Xhosa woman married to an Asian man shared a clip of him learning her language.
• An Afrikaans man opened up about how he ended up in an interracial relationship despite his upbringing.

Source: Briefly News