(Newswire.net — January 26, 2015) — Johannesbourg, S.Africa – Traditionally, if they want to marry a woman, men in African tribes need to pay the bride’s family a compensation, usually in cattle or other livestock. It is much more challenging, however, to calculate precisely how many cows the future bride is worth. According to a software developer from Johannesburg, that is no longer an issue. African tribes can now use a smartphone app for calculating the value of future brides.
Kopo Robert Matsaneng, a 26-year-old software developer from Johannesburg creates a unique android app called Lobola Calcurator which can estimate the value of the woman. Lobola means the price groom has to pay for a bride, usually in cattle. Lobola Calculator, however, could convert the price into several other currencies like dollars, pounds or euros.
According to the creator, the app is easy to use. Anyone deciding whether or not to ask for a woman’s hand just needs to punch in the woman’s measures and app will automatically calculate the value. The app considers the persons age, height, weight, waist size and overall impression of beauty, which can vary from ‘not at all’ to ‘Really Hot’, Bloomberg reported.
Additionally, the groom to be, must enter some other data like whether the girl has the job, was she married before and if she has children. It is not yet known if the upgrade will include the IQ or education level as well. Nonetheless, the app creator said he created the app for a fun and to tribute local tradition.
“This is a fun app to calculate how much lobola you’re worth,” Matsaneng says in the apps introduction. “It’s simple, fun and meant to be playful, so enjoy,” he wrote.
Different African regions have different lobola standards, so the app’s algorithm uses average lobola values in South Africa’s provinces and a few neighboring countries. According to a Bloomberg report, the highest lobola standard is in Lesotho and Swaziland, 12 cows, (close to $9,000), and the lowest rate is in the South Africa’s northern provinces is an average of 5 cows.
Most users liked the app and see it as it is, just for fun, however, there are some who take it more seriously, objecting that it is not representing the true value of lobola.
“Some people are already too angry about the concept,” Matsaneng said on the app’s webpage. He responded to app criticism for missing cooking and alcohol intake criteria.