Abstract:
Death and bereavement are sensitive issues experienced by all mortal species across the world.
When death occurs, some individual are left bereaved. However, all societies have established
cultural ways of mourning the dead as a way of healing the bereaved; although it seems the
bereavement rituals are decided and performed without the bereaves consent. The aim of the study
was to explore the experiences of death and bereavement amongst the young Vhavenda widows.
The primary objectives of the study were to identify the challenges experienced by young
Vhavenda widows in Vhembe District during the time of death and bereavement; establish whether
these women are treated with respect, dignity, and compassion during the process of death and
bereavement; understand the coping strategies they employed in dealing with death and
bereavement and understand their expectations regarding the role to be played by the family and
the community. Finally, the study sought to ascertain the overall impact of the process of death
and bereavement on widow’s future lives. A qualitative research method was used to collect indepth
data through unstructured interviews. The interviews were conducted using a purposeful
sampling method among 13 young widows at Tshikombani village in Nzhelele in Vhembe District.
Mbigi’s five finger theory of Ubuntu was employed as the main theory aligning with the study.
The research findings indicated that most young widows are coerced into performing bereavement
rituals while elders made decisions for some. Only one young widow did not have bereavement
rituals performed on her. The Findings also indicate that the participants are not fully aware of
their rights as women, wives and citizens of South Africa. These raises need for government
institutions to address issues concerning human, women and marital rights to the widows
specifically in the rural areas of South Africa.
