The 21-year-old daughter of South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma is marrying the Eswatini king for love, a spokesman for Africa’s last remaining absolute monarchy has told the BBC.
Nomcebo Zuma’s engagement to King Mswati III was made official earlier this week at the end of the eight-day reed dance ceremony – a traditional rite of passage for young women and girls held every year.
The 56-year-old monarch is currently in a polygamous arrangement with 11 wives – and has been married 15 times in total.
Eswatini spokesman Alpheous Nxumalo dismissed outright the suggestion that 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 permitted constitutionally,” he told the BBC’s Newsday programme.
Mr Zuma, who was president of South Africa from 2009 until 2018, and King Mswati are already relatives 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 household – while most of his people languish in poverty.
Eswatini, previously known as Swaziland, has a population of 1.1 million and one of the world’s highest rates of HIV/Aids infection.
The heavy-handed treatment of the king’s opponents in Eswatini, which is almost entirely surrounded by South Africa, has also come in for criticism.
There are strong traditional ties between Eswatini and South Africa’s Zulu monarchy – the current Zulu king, Misuzulu ka Zwelithini, is Mswati III’s nephew.
Mr Zuma, who resigned in disgrace over corruption allegations during his presidency and still faces a court case over a 1999 arms deal (he denies any wrong-doing), is currently enjoying a political renaissance.
His newly formed party uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) came third in South Africa’s general election this year.