AbaThembu King Buyelekhaya Zwelibanzi Dalindyebo, 59, has married wife No 6 — popular Eastern Cape businesswoman and filmmaker Nolubabalo “Babsi” Mcinga, 42.
The couple tied the knot in a private ceremony in the Gonubie Baptist Church on Friday.
On Saturday, they drove to Mcinga’s parents’ home in Graaff-Reinet, and on Tuesday the lovebirds were chauffeured to Dalindyebo’s Bumbane Great Place in Mthatha to introduce the new queen to the AmaDlomo royal family.
About 30 AmaDlomo members — including the king’s brothers, Nkosi Patrick Dalindyebo and Prince Mankunku Mthandeni Dalindyebo, his uncles, Nkosi Thanduxolo Mtirara and Nkosi Thandisizwe Mtirara, his cousins Nkosi Bhovulengwe Mtirara and Prince Siyabulela Corporal Mtirara, and his royal spokesperson Prince Babalo Papu — attended.
None of his wives, including Queen Nokwanda Dalindyebo, with whom he lives at Nkululekweni, were present.
There was joy and celebration on Tuesday as the king spoke proudly of his new wife, describing her as the new light in his life.
The new wife will stay in Bumbane Great Place.
Mcinga is an AmaNgxongo princess, one of the senior AbaThembu royal clans, sharing similar ancestors with Dlomo. Her mother is from the Tshawe royal clan.
After the meeting, the dreadlocked monarch showed his romantic side as he strolled hand-in-hand with his new wife to their vehicle.
The king asked Thanduxolo and Bhovulengwe Mtirara to speak to the Dispatch on his behalf.
The Mtiraras said the king was excited about the marriage.
“We are all excited and appreciate the fact he has called us all to this meeting and introduced his new wife, a beautiful woman from Graaff-Reinet,” Thanduxolo said.
The king came and proposed, saying he wants to make me his wife and we agreed, and on Friday we got married at the Baptist Church in East London
— Nolubabalo 'Babsi' Mcinga
“Many rituals are to start. Though they are already married, declared wife and husband, there are other rituals to follow in line with our cultural practices.”
The men said the couple had received the blessing of AmaDlomo and the entire royal family.
Bhovulengwe said: “We all accept the wife as one of the king’s queens and are happy to see both a God-fearing couple who think morally and with African and Christian values and within the customary practices of AbaThembu and AmaDlomo.”
Mcinga is the co-founder and organiser of the Xhosa Royal Carnival and has also worked with Imbumba Yamakhosikazi Akomkhulu (queens and traditional leaders wives’ forum) on rural development programmes and women’s empowerment initiatives. She is an author, motivational speaker and philanthropist.
The new queen said: “I’ve always worked in development projects and on uplifting communities. I’m the former country director of Timeless Women of Wonder, a women’s empowerment forum based in Kenya that also did rural development on the continent. So I’m bringing the continental sound network in unifying Africans and the AbaThembu kingdom to make Africa great again.”
She owns the NTU News newspaper and is the author of the Christian book The Sum of Life.
AmaDlomo will now identify onoozakuzaku (lobola negotiators) to meet the Mcinga family to discuss various issues including the lobola.
Dalindyebo said on November 25 the AmaDlomo would conduct the ritual of ukutyisa utsiki to introduce her to the ancestry, at which women would adorn her with makoti attire and her marriage name would be announced.
The wedding came at the time traditional leaders under Dalindyebo’s kingship were collecting lobola for Queen Nokwanda, whom the king had identified as his great wife. Each traditional leader was asked to contribute a cow for the lobola by August 31.
Bhovulengwe said the king was also ending his civil marriage to Nokwanda. “This is not because the king and Nokwanda are fighting, but because the divorce is for convenience to allow the king to marry more women he wishes to marry. This has happened before to Noluntu.”
Mcinga said: “The king came and proposed, saying he wants to make me his wife and we agreed, and on Friday we got married at the Baptist Church in East London.”
Dalindyebo married Queen Nocollege Dalindyebo of Qhudeni clan (née Buyiswa Majiki‚ now a high court judge) in 1992, and Queen Noluntu Dalindyebo (of AmaMvulane)‚ a schoolteacher‚ in 1995. Both marriages ended in divorce, but according to customary law, they remain his wives.
He then married Queen Nokwanda (of AmaXesibe) and Nolitha (of AmaTshawe) — on the same day in 2004. Later that year‚ he married his fifth wife‚ Queen Nolwazi.
Nolwazi died in 2011 and Nolitha died in August 2016.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.