Zuma’s daughter marries polygamous king ‘for love’

A spokesman for Africa’s last absolute monarchy told the BBC that the 21-year-old daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma is marrying the King of Eswatini for love.

Nomcebo Zuma’s engagement to King Mswati III was officially announced earlier this week, following an eight-day reed dance ceremony – a traditional initiation rite for young women and girls held each year.

The 56-year-old monarch currently lives in a polygamous relationship with 11 wives and has been married a total of 15 times.

Eswatini spokesman Alpheous Nxumalo vehemently rejected the suggestion the marriage would be a political alliance.

“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 constitutionally allowed,” he told BBC Newsday.

Mr Zuma, who served as South Africa’s president from 2009 to 2018, and King Mswati are already related through marriage.

Critics accuse King Mswati, who rules by decree and has been on the throne for 38 years, of living in luxury with his polygamous family while most of his people live in poverty.

Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, has a population of 1.1 million and one of the highest HIV/AIDS infection rates in the world.

Criticism has also been raised over the brutal treatment of the king’s opponents in Eswatini, which is almost entirely surrounded by South Africa.

There are strong traditional ties between Eswatini and the Zulu monarchy of South Africa. The current Zulu king, Misuzulu ka Zwelithini, is a nephew of Mswati III.

Mr Zuma, who resigned from office amid scandal over corruption allegations that emerged during his presidency and who still faces legal action over a 1999 arms deal (he denies any wrongdoing), is enjoying a political renaissance.

His newly formed uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party came third in this year’s South African general election.

The 82-year-old is also highly respected by his supporters for upholding his Zulu cultural and traditional beliefs. He has several wives and is believed to have 20 children.

Nomcebo, whose mother is his long-time fiancée Nonkululeko Mhlongo, was dressed in the bright colours of the Kingdom of Eswatini on Monday, the final day of the reed dance ceremony at the Ludzidzini Royal Palace.

The ceremony is known as Umhlanga and is intended to discourage participants from engaging in sexual activity at a young age.

The King has the right to choose a bride from among the participants – this time Mrs Zuma was introduced as “liphovela”, which in the Swati language means royal bride.

He has faced criticism in the past for the age of his fiancées, including in 2005 when he chose 17-year-old Phindile Nkambule as his wife – days after he lifted a ban on sexual relations for girls under 18.

Just two months after the ban was introduced in 2001 to help fight HIV/AIDS, he was fined the equivalent of a cow for breaking the ban by marrying a 17-year-old who was his ninth wife.

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