AmaHegebe princess is chief’s ‘precious present’
SENIOR abaThembu and amaDlomo traditional leader Chief Mfundo Mtirara celebrated his 44th birthday on Saturday by paying lobola.
Mtirara is set to marry amaHegebe princess Buyiselwa Holomisa, the cousin of prominent amaHegebe tribe head Chief Phathekile Holomisa. This will be his second marriage.
Mtirara has been married to the daughter of Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini, princess Nandi Zulu, for 15 years. Nandi left Mtirara in 2005 and went back to her home in KwaZulu-Natal.
Mtirara said that according to African custom, she would remain the senior wife as lobola had been paid by the tribe and relatives. The amaHegebe princess will be the second wife of the right-hand house.
Nandi and Mtirara wed in a glamorous ceremony in December 2002 attended by a host of southern African royalty and celebrities.
Nandi was the first of Zwelithini’s daughters to marry and Mtirara paid 120 cattle and two horses for lobola.
On Saturday, as Mtirara celebrated his 44th birthday, a delegation of the abaThembu, led by Chief Zwelithobile Mtirara, visited the amaHegebe royal clan to ask for the hand of the princess and to pay lobola.
The couple has been dating for six years and have a five-year-old daughter, Lisakhanya.
“I love MaHegebe so much and this is the reason that I celebrated my 44th birthday today [Saturday]. I sent people to her home to plead with her family to let her be my wife. I have received many presents for my birthdays, but this one is my most precious present for me, my family and my people. I am very happy,” Mtirara said.
Mtirara described his bride-to-be – who is the personal assistant of Agrarian and Rural Development MEC Mlibo Qoboshiyane – as loving, hardworking, humble and a people’s person.
Chief Phathekile Holomisa’s mother, Nodumile, led the women in ululation and dance as four heifers and two oxen were led to the family cattle kraal.
Chief Holomisa and UDM president Bantu Holomisa expressed happiness at the union between amaDlomo and amaHegebe.
Speaking for amaDlomo and the lobola delegation, Chief Zwelithobile Mtirara said the negotiations had been strong and tricky.
“But we are happy that eventually we have reached an agreement and the two have the blessing of both families to be married. The amaHegebe elders asked us for 13 cattle. Today we managed to pay an equivalent of nine – three in cash and six as live cattle,” Zwelithobile said.
Among those in attendance of the birthday celebrations at Mtirara’s home, were Mtirara’s family, villagers, former King Sabata Dalindyebo mayor Siyakholwa Mlamli, who is now an O R Tambo district mayoral committee member, other councillors and ANC local leadership.
His parents could not be present as his mother, Nobantu, is ill in hospital in KwaZulu-Natal and his father, Chief Ndaba Mtirara, died in July 2005. —