Zuma camp keeps mum on wife No 5

THE ANC will not comment on the "pending" wedding between President Jacob Zuma and Swazi Princess Sebentile Dlamini.

Last week, Sunday World was informed by members of the Swazi Royal House that King Mswati III was putting pressure on Zuma to marry his half-sister.

They said the wedding between Sebentile and Zuma was put on hold temporarily because of "negative publicity it might generate".

ANC spokesman Keith Khoza did not wish to comment on whether the ANC might be apprehensive about possible negative publicity over the wedding.

Private

"A wedding is a private matter and as the ANC we would not want to comment on that," he said. "It's a matter between two families."

Zuma himself has remained mum about his plans for Sebentile.

Sunday World sent questions to his spokesman, Mac Maharaj, more than two weeks ago, but has not received any response.

On Friday, Maharaj said he still had not received answers from Zuma.

"I still don't have the answers to the questions."

Zuma paid lobola for Sebentile 11 years ago, but did not complete wedding rituals.

Impatient

Mswati has grown impatient with the delay and in June he sent Prince Masitsela to South Africa to, among other things, convey a special message to Zuma.

Masitsela is the most senior prince and was the administrator of Swaziland for a time.

Masitsela did not wish to talk about the message Mswati had asked him to deliver to Zuma. "Yes, I met President Zuma in Pretoria," he said.

Prince Qethuka, the head of royal affairs, told Sunday World that since they had accepted lobola from the Zumas, Sebentile could not marry anyone else but Zuma.

He also confirmed that the delegation visited Zuma and indicated that he had been supposed to be part of it, but Mswati had reassigned him to other duties.

Zuma has four wives, but has been married six times. One of them died and he divorced African Union Commission chairwoman Nkosozana Dlamini Zuma.

mzwandile@sundayworld.co.za