Mother accepts teen's marriage to king

THE mother of Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini's 17-year-old bride-to-be said she had finally come to terms with her daughter's impending marriage into royalty.

But Zola Mafu's mother, Rose, a librarian in Swaziland, said she did not know why her daughter had been chosen, adding that, culturally, Swazi maidens were chosen for their beauty, shapely bodies and long necks accentuated by umandinda, a traditional neck decoration.

Zwelithini's third wife, Queen Mantfombi of Swaziland, spotted Zola during last year's reed dance in Swaziland.

After writing her O-level exams at St Mark's High outside Mbabane last year, Zola was whisked off to KwaKhangela Palace in Nongoma, the residence of Queen Mantfombi. Her unsuspecting parents were later notified by Swazi and Zulu royal officials that she had been taken to KwaZulu-Natal. - Futhi Ntshingila