Nomcebo Zuma, the 21-year-old daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma, is set to marry King Mswati III of Eswatini, Africa’s last absolute monarchy. A spokesman confirmed to the BBC that the engagement, based on love, was made official at the end of the reed dance ceremony, a traditional eight-day rite of passage for young women and girls.
The 56-year-old monarch, who is currently in a polygamous arrangement with 11 wives and has been married 15 times, is set to marry Nomcebo Zuma.
Eswatini spokesman Alpheous Nxumalo dismissed any suggestions that the marriage is a political alliance, according to the BBC.
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“Love has no eyes to see or count age. Love happens between two people. It can happen between a person who is 100 years old and a person who is above the average of what is permitted constitutionally,” he told the BBC’s Newsday program.
Jacob Zuma and King Mswati, already related by marriage, are soon to become in-laws again. Critics accuse King Mswati, who has ruled for 38 years by decree, of living in luxury with his polygamous household while most of his citizens live in poverty.
Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, with a population of 1.1 million, has one of the highest HIV/AIDS infection rates globally. The country, nearly surrounded by South Africa, faces criticism for the heavy-handed treatment of the king’s opponents.
Eswatini and South Africa’s Zulu monarchy share strong traditional ties, with the current Zulu king, Misuzulu ka Zwelithini, being King Mswati’s nephew.
Jacob Zuma, who resigned amid corruption allegations and faces a court case over a 1999 arms deal, is experiencing a political resurgence. His newly formed party, uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), placed third in South Africa’s general election this year.
Jacob Zuma, 82, is revered by his supporters for maintaining Zulu cultural and traditional beliefs. He has several wives and is believed to have 20 children.
His daughter, Nomcebo Zuma, whose mother is his long-time fiancée Nonkululeko Mhlongo, wore the bright colors of the Eswatini kingdom during the reed dance ceremony at Ludzidzini Royal Palace. This Umhlanga ceremony aims to discourage early sexual activity among participants.
King Mswati, permitted to choose a bride from reed dance participants, selected Nomcebo Zuma as the “liphovela” or royal fiancée.
The king has in the past faced scrutiny for the ages of his brides.
In 2005, he married 17-year-old Phindile Nkambule shortly after lifting a ban on sexual relations for girls under 18.
The ban, originally imposed in 2001 to combat HIV/AIDS, was violated by the king himself, who fined himself a cow for marrying a 17-year-old as his ninth wife just two months after the ban was instituted.
