A nine year old boy has married is 62 year old wife for the second time in order to make the marriage official.
According to Mail Online, Helen Shebanga and Sanele Masilela wed last year after the Masilelea claimed that his dead ancestors told him he must marry her. His family decided to play along to ‘keep the ancestors happy’, worried that something bad may happen to them if they did not comply with their request.
While many villagers were ‘disgusted’ by the ceremony, which took place at bride’s, home in Mpumanga, South Africa, the families of the bride and groom insist that the marriage itself is simply a ritual, not legally binding and that the two have no sexual relationship.
Sanele’s mother, who payed $1,700 for the ceremony, 500 of which went to bride, said that Sanele was ‘happy about the wedding last year…so much so that he wanted to do it again’
She added that since the initial ceremony last year people had unrelenting questions for the bride and groom: ‘After the wedding last year people keep asking them question like will they live together, sleep together, have babies but I keep telling them that after the wedding everything went back to normal nothing changed.’Despite being in a long term marriage for several years, with 5 children aged between 28-38 . Helen’s husband , Alfred Shebanga, has been surprisingly supportive saying ‘My kids and I are happy because we don’t have a problem with her marrying the boy – and I don’t care what other people say.’
Although Sanele is happy about the wedding he hopes to marry someone his own age some day: ‘I told my mother that I wanted to get married because I really did want to,’ he said.
‘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.’
