05/01/2026
Dear Auntie Thandi,
Please help me. I am feeling emotionally drained and confused.
I've been in a long-term relationship with a man I love deeply. We've been together for 6 years, i am 30 he is 36, bonded emotionally, and in many ways, we live like a married couple. The issue is he doesn’t believe in marriage.He says he's happy to live together, have children, and build a life, but without marriage—no lobola, no vows, no legal commitment—only "love and trust.”Initially, I convinced myself that marriage was just a piece of paper and love should suffice. But honestly, Auntie, that’s not enough for me.
I want marriage. I want to be openly, publicly, and permanently chosen. I seek the security, respect, and clarity that come with being a wife. I don’t want to beg for commitment or compromise my values just to keep him.
The difficult truth is he's not a bad man—he's consistent, kind, and present. Yet, whenever I bring up marriage, he shuts down or claims I’m pressuring him. He says if I truly loved him, I would accept his conditions.Now I feel stuck.
Should I stay and grow to resent him?Should I leave someone I love because our future visions clash?
How do I walk away from a relationship that isn’t abusive, but is incomplete?Auntie Thandi, how can I end this relationship with dignity, without bitterness, and without fearing I’m making a mistake?How do I let go of a man who wants everything but commitment?Please advise—I am weary, and my spirit knows this is not the life I prayed for.