The 21-year-old daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma, Nomcebo Zuma, is set to become the 16th wife of Eswatini’s King Mswati III.
She was introduced as his fiancée during the Umhlanga, or Reed Dance, ceremony on Monday, September 2. King Mswati, who is 56, attends this event, originally established in the 1940s by King Sobhuza II, to choose a new wife each year.
The Reed Dance is a traditional celebration at the Ludzidzini Royal Village in Lobomba, Eswatini, where young girls celebrate their virginity.
According to several South African publications, Nomcebo Zuma will be presented to King Mswati’s mother in the coming weeks.
In July, representatives of the King visited Zuma’s home in Nkandla to present cattle as part of the dowry.
The marriage proposal was formalized through a traditional ceremony known as “kucela,” where the King sends a delegation to offer gifts as a formal request to marry the woman.
Details of the ongoing negotiations remain undisclosed.
