Nomcebo Zuma, the 21-year-old daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma, has made headlines with her engagement to King Mswati III of Eswatini, Africa’s last absolute monarch. The engagement became official at the close of the traditional eight-day reed dance ceremony earlier this week, marking a significant chapter in the young woman’s life.
King Mswati III, 56, is no stranger to the practice of polygamy. Currently married to 11 wives, he has been wed a total of 15 times. Despite the king’s well-known lifestyle, Eswatini’s spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo dismissed any suggestion that this engagement was politically motivated, insisting that love, not politics, is at the heart of this union.
“Love has no eyes to see or count age,” Nxumalo explained in an interview. “Love happens between two people. It can happen between a person who is 100 years old and someone much younger, as long as it is a mutual connection.”
Nomcebo, whose mother is Nonkululeko Mhlongo, was adorned in Eswatini’s traditional attire during the reed dance ceremony at the Ludzidzini Royal Palace. This ceremony, known as the Umhlanga, is intended to promote chastity among young women. King Mswati was allowed to select a bride from the ceremony’s participants, and Nomcebo was presented as the “liphovela,” or royal fiancée.
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While the engagement has attracted attention, King Mswati III has long been a controversial figure. Critics have often pointed to his luxurious lifestyle, which contrasts sharply with the poverty experienced by many of Eswatini’s 1.1 million citizens. The small nation, almost completely surrounded by South Africa, also struggles with one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS infection in the world.
The king’s rule has not been without scrutiny. His marriage practices have come under fire in the past, particularly when he married 17-year-old Phindile Nkambule in 2005. This was only months after a brief ban on sexual relations for girls under 18, a ban King Mswati himself violated and later fined himself a cow for doing so.
For Nomcebo, the engagement is not just a personal milestone but also a reflection of her deep-rooted connections to traditional values. Her father, Jacob Zuma, is a well-known advocate of cultural and traditional Zulu practices. Zuma, who has faced legal challenges due to corruption allegations during his presidency, is nevertheless enjoying a political resurgence. His newly formed political party, uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), placed third in South Africa’s most recent general election.
The engagement between Nomcebo and King Mswati III also strengthens ties between the Zulu and Swati monarchies. Mswati is the nephew of South Africa’s current Zulu king, Misuzulu ka Zwelithini, cementing a bond between the two royal families that has existed for generations.
While the marriage is being framed as a love story, it also raises questions about the power dynamics within royal circles and the future of women who enter into polygamous unions. For now, however, Nomcebo Zuma seems poised to embrace her role as the newest member of Eswatini’s royal family, navigating both tradition and modern expectations.
