King Mswati set to wed daughter of prominent South African religious leader

0 Then-president Jacob Zuma and Swazi King Mswati III at Lozitha Palace, in August 2016. Image: GCIS Home » King Mswati set to wed daughter of prominent South African religious leader

Eswatini’s King Mswati III is reportedly set to wed again, following his high-profile marriage to Nomcebo Zuma, daughter of ex-president Jacob Zuma.

0 Then-president Jacob Zuma and Swazi King Mswati III at Lozitha Palace, in August 2016. Image: GCIS Eswatini’s King Mswati III is reportedly preparing for another royal wedding, with sources confirming the monarch is set to marry Nontokozo Shembe, the daughter of influential Nazareth Baptist Church leader Mduduzi Shembe, known among followers as Unyazi LweZulu.

Travel records confirm, according to Eswatini news media, Nontokozo frequented the royal palace between late August and early September 2026, coinciding with the annual uMhlanga Reed Dance at Ludzidzini Palace, in Lobamba.

Royal insiders reveal that lobola negotiations between the monarch and the Shembe family have been concluded, formalising the union under Swati custom.

Nontokozo was originally slated for official presentation to the nation as liphovela (royal fiancée) during the Reed Dance.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by @nontokozo_s

However, Mswati allegedly postponed her public announcement out of respect for former president Jacob Zuma, who attended the cultural ceremony.

Addressing the reports, royal spokesperson Percy Simelane kept details close to his chest.

“This one appears to be a family affair. I would not know what is in the mind of the royal family with regards to the marriage in question,” Simelane said, as reported by Swaziland News.

The impending nuptials follow the monarch’s headline-grabbing marriage to Zuma’s 21-year-old daughter, Nomcebo Zuma, who became his 16th wife after being presented at the 2024 Reed Dance.

Mswati reportedly paid R2 million and 100 head of cattle in lobola for Nomcebo, a union supported by her mother, Nonkululeko Mhlongo, but reportedly boycotted by Zuma himself.

Nomcebo soon accompanied the king on a high-profile international tour to Italy, Serbia, and Samoa that drew scrutiny for its reported R200-million cost to Eswatini taxpayers.

However, the relationship faced publicised friction, with Nomcebo briefly returning to KwaZulu-Natal after reporting a lack of attention in the royal household before palace emissaries intervened.

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