Remember the story of an 8 year-old boy who got married to a 61 year-old woman in South Africa to “make the ancestors happy”? {In case you missed it on BN, click here}
Although their wedding shocked many people across the world, the couple and their families who see nothing wrong with the wedding have evidently moved on and are enjoying their “married life”.
The school boy, Sanele Masilela got married to Helen Shabangu after his grandfather contacted him from beyond the grave telling him that he needed to wed. He married Helen in accordance with the wishes of his dead ancestor, and his family provided Helen with £500 and paid a further £1,000 for the celebration.
Daily Mail UK recently caught up with Sanele who admitted that since the wedding, he has begun to feel like a married man. “The day was great and it was exactly what I had imagined it would be like. My friends thought it was really funny that I was getting married but I do now feel like a husband,” he was quoted as saying.
Although the couple do not live together, Helen is often invited to have dinner with him at the family’s home. Meanwhile, Sanele has gone back to his life and continues to enjoy school and playing football with his friends.
Speaking on how he got the alleged message from his late grandfather, he said the deceased contacted him through a picture of his mother’s wedding.
“We have a special bond because I am named after him. He said he had seen the picture and felt sad that he had never been able to have a white wedding of his own so he asked me to get married.” He concluded by saying “I chose Helen because I love her.”
Helen, a mother of five who has already been married for 30 years also defended the ceremony saying, “I know the story went out all over the world and it’s great that other countries have been able to learn about our culture and our ancestors. What we did was not wrong. It’s just our culture. When the ancestors ask something, we do what they say. I don’t think other people understand that. I know the ancestors are happy now because we are all alright and everything seems better and greater. The whole family is much happier than we’ve ever been.”
Photo Credit: Daily Mail
yes oo…no comments!
Strange culture if you ask me.
4 real?
Wow this so disheartening…..May God take control
hmmmmn.. okay na.. Culture
This is why Westerners think Africans are backwards. Everything about this story screams backwardness. Contact from beyond the grave, boy getting married to a grandma. Whether or not they live together, this is just screwed up.
Actually there are programmes in the UK where the psychics will tell people your dead mother/father told me this.This is weird,I hope they’re not engaging in sexual relations.
odikwa egwu #eyeswideopen#
the igwe must hear dis! #in nollywood style#
Ancestors? ancestors that didnt help us improve our living conditions? that did not think of electricity, transportation systems, medical inventions? what ancestors? *angry*.
the ancestors knows about white wedding huh? *wtshewww*
Well, SA has constant light and improved living condition compared to Nigeria na! lol
child abuse oooooooooo
So will they or have they already had sex?
Looooool they just crazy! Culture ke?
This makes my stomach churn! God, please have mercy.
seriously?
So if the ancestors ask you to kill your entire family will you do it? I am all for tolerance of different cultures but this is rubbish and retrogressive, where are the SA child protection services in all of this?
The world is COMING TO AN END!!! Is this some sort of jokes?
I’m guessing this child has parents, why would they allow such? Are he and this lady engaging in sexual activities?? What is going on??
It’ll be a miracle if this child doesn’t have a warped sense of life by the time he’s an adult, he already seems confused
“Culture” is not an excuse for acts that are harmful to others. How isn’t this child abuse? Just because the child is smiling and seemingly ok with it doesn’t make it right. It is the parent’s duty (or the government, in the absence of reasonable parents) to step in and protect the child.
LMFAOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!
In certain igbo culture(MINE), if a man has JUST ason, the father arranges for him to marry a woman who is already pregnant to bear kids, they normally choose an adult to impregnante the woman until the child is of age, most times by the time he is of age he marries a woman of his choice and he and his kids from the first “marriage” are almost same age, strange but very true. This South Africa marriage is not so strange afterall, BUT NO WAY DO I CONDONE IT!!!!!!!
this is the kind of mess that illiteracy causes.
yuuck!
So sadened actually 🙁
Are we still in the Era of ancestors existence with all this coming of Christianity into Africa…all this stuffs do still happen??
Africa is really a dark continent…….
ROTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m dead oh, too may jokes in the world today..
That picture of them eating together slayed ….hehehehhehe..Oko ati Iyawo of life!
I think I JUST THREW UP! WTH!
It make the world interesting!imagine the world without strange happening? Hahahahahahah
Ewwwwwwwwwwwww
hmn..typical nigerian hollier than thou cmments:as if we have any better culturally,our country is upsidedown,no direction,no gd leadership,confused and pretendtious followership…go sidon abeg.
Mehn this shit is cray!! WTH
God 4give dis woman she a pidofile
OMG! This is just wrong on so many levels cant even believe my eyes.
will they make love?eyes popping out in surprise
no way, this is crazy…I prefer to believe that that is a grandmother posing with her grandson. But husband and wife? Me can’t shout.
This is madness.
That is his culture and I respect it! As long as they are having sex.
Hilarious n surprising, diz ppl must be rtarded n deluded to think such c’mon diz illiteracy at d topmost level. Absolute joke bt imagine am dat boy go dey enjoy toto sha hmm
Ridiculous..however, all hope is not lost, once puberty sets in and he can tell the difference between a babe and a granny his eyes will open and he will RUN for his dear life…right now, he’s just a silly little kid who is surrounded by irresponsible brainwashed adults…
Lol!!!!!!!!!!I can’t laugh!bGod forbid bad thing!!!!!!Culture ko,culture ni!!!!
we need to verify this story making the rounds. i dont want to believe it. besides the boy said his ancestors spoke to him. did this old woman’s ancestors speak to her too? why on earth will she even agree notwithstanding the fact that the boy is acting insane?
Wonders shall never end…and as part of the “WONDERS” will they be making love as a couple????
@ZEE..same on my thoughts! from what the little boy said..his ancestors spoke to him, through a picture?? or through any other form of spiritual body? I really don’t get
What in the worlddddd this is crazzzyy???
We are trapped in this culture bull shit an end up impoverished….no wonder Africa remains the way it is ….Cant the culture come up with technological advancements…
What is the name of this movie? Send part 2
this is bad news
will they even have sex?
Sorry but I had to burst out in laughter when I read this. #NoWords.
As a proud and black South African woman, I would just like it to be known that this story shocked even us in SA.
This is NOT the norm under any circumstances! We DO NOT run around marrying minors and being weird and gross! I promise! Lol!
I am personally a saved Christian who no longer participates in certain cultural practises, but in my experience in the past, these practices were more about remembering and honouring our loved ones whom we have lost.
Unfortunately, it can often times lead to misguided practises (as I suppose this might be).
Please don’t think us crazy when you read stories like this! 🙂
i know how you feel but even you know the truth is bitter.
Truth is your folks are crazy and a half. Some of your practices defy are mind boggling but i guess same can be said for most acts of faith.
Oh God..I had to really rub my eyes while reading this story. I thought it was a type when I saw 8.
Na wah..the wonders in this world never end.
**typo
WAT A TABOO!, END OF THIS WICKED WORLD,AND CHRISTIANS BEWARE ‘COS CHRIST IS COMING.
welll.. at first you are tempted to say what a fecking load of you know what.. but read it well.. they do not live together, the boy lives at home, she goes to visit.. its not like she is expecting conjugal visit or any such thing from him. Now lets take an 8yr old boy, kids are resilient and i do not think he will be scarred from this. he may see her as an aunt or even a surrogate mom and not as a sexual being.. so its all well that reads weirdly really.
UNBELIEVABLE!!!!! dont these people know that once people die, they die and do not become “living dead ancestors” but the deceased? these people need prayers for its demons that contact this boy. May the lord deliver these people for real!
jesus christ oooooooo abeg quick come make i follow u, people don dey mad 4 dis world ooooo
What kind of tradition is this,gosh boy of your mind u are married abi
Culture na wah.
Ok oo …hmm the boy try sha . E don break record ..,make God help us