Former South Africa President Zuma’s daughter to become 16th wife of Eswatini King

The engagement was confirmed during the annual Umhlanga reed dance, a traditional ceremony that took place at the Ludzidzini royal village in Lobamba, the spiritual capital of Eswatini.

The Umhlanga reed dance is a days-long rite of passage where thousands of young girls, dressed in brightly coloured traditional clothing, sing and dance bare-chested.

It was during this event on September 2 that Nomcebo Zuma appeared as the liphovela, a term meaning royal fiancée or concubine, solidifying her engagement to the 56-year-old monarch.

King Mswati III has ruled over Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, since 1986, ascending the throne just days after his 18th birthday.

The king governs the nation of approximately 1.2 million people by decree, with political parties banned and elected officials serving only in an advisory capacity.

Nomcebo's father, Jacob Zuma, served as South Africa's president from 2009 to 2018. The 82-year-old ex-president, who is known to have over 20 children from his wives, former wives, and mistresses, once stated in a televised interview, "There are plenty of politicians who have mistresses and children that they hide so as to pretend they're monogamous. I prefer to be open. I love my wives and I'm proud of my children."

In August, ex-president Zuma announced that he was leaving the African National Congress (ANC), the party he once led, after forming the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party after his expulsion from the ANC.

Zuma claimed that the ANC no longer represents the values it once stood for.