Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini is set to take on a new bride-to-be in Princess Sihle Mdluli from Mpumalanga.
Princess Mdluli, who is reported to be in her early 20s, is from the Mdluli royal family. She has been living at one of the king’s palaces for about two weeks.
The king’s representative in the KwaZulu-Natal House of Traditional leadership and Khoisan Leaders, Prince Gumbela Zulu, confirmed the princess was present at the final ritual of the Umkhosi Wokweshwama ceremony at eEmashobeni in northern KwaZulu-Natal and was formally introduced to the royal family.
“I can confirm the king has a new queen-to-be. She is a princess from a royal family in Mpumalanga,” Gumbela said.
Inkosi MI Mdluli from the traditional council said negotiations were at a “sensitive” stage and did not want to comment further.
Gumbela refused to be drawn on the king’s postponed wedding to Nomzamo Myeni, who he was scheduled to marry in January.
A few days before the wedding, a letter purportedly to have come from the king was sent to Dr Nonhlanhla Mkhize, director-general in the premier’s office, informing her the planned wedding had been cancelled. He asked for all security details assigned to Myeni to be withdrawn with immediate effect.
The king later cited being in seclusion as the reason for the wedding being postponed.
Cultural experts Prof Musa Xulu and Prof Gugu Mazibuko said it was unlikely the wedding would go ahead.
Xulu said the king’s decision to postpone his wedding came as no surprise.
He said there is a Zulu saying, “umshado kawuhlehli” (a wedding is not postponable).
Mazibuko said if you postpone a wedding you invite bad luck, adding a postponed wedding usually never takes place.
TimesLIVE
MLUNGISI MHLOPHE-GUMEDE
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