As an eight-year-old schoolboy from Tshwane, South Africa, the last thing on Sanele Masilela’s mind is tying the knot with a girl—let alone a 61-year old woman old enough to be his grandmother. But that was the case in an event that shocked his community.
Masilela said a ghost of his dead ancestors and his family told him get married or face recompense from the divine. Sanele, the youngest of five siblings, married Helen Shabangu, who is already married and a mother-of-five. The wedding was planned two-months in advanced and Sanele’s family paid £500 for the bride and another £1,000 for the wedding day.
Sanele’s mother, Patience Masilela said, 'This is the first time this has happened in the family. Sanele is named after his grandfather, who had never had a white wedding before he died. He asked Sanele to get married. He chose Helen because he loves her. By doing this we made the ancestors happy. If we hadn't done what my son had asked then something bad would have happened in the family.’
Sanele nor Helen signed a marriage certificate and can go back to living their normal lives without living with each other. Helen, who works at a recycling center, has children between ages 27-37 said that the ceremony is just a ritual.
'I told my mother that I wanted to get married because I really did want to, said Sanele. ‘I'm happy that I married Helen - but I will go to school and study hard. When I'm older I will marry a lady my own age.’
Sources: Global Grind; UK Daily Mail
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