WTF: 8 YEAR OLD BOY MARRIES 61 YEAR OLD WOMAN FOLLOWING HIS GRANDFATHER'S WISHES (1979 hits)
SOUTH AFRICA--Following the wishes of his dead namesake, 8-year-old Sanele Masilela got hitched to Helen Shabangu, who is a Mother of five, in their village of Tshwane, South Africa, reports the U.K. Daily Mail.
The wedding announcement sent shock waves throughout the town, but according to the boy’s parents, the child was merely respecting the wishes of his dead grandfather. Masilela, who is named after his grandfather, supposedly told by the elder to have a white lavish wedding, because he never had one before he died.
Fearing that there would be some sort of doom brought upon him if he did not follow through with his grandfather’s wishes, the boy agreed to marry the woman he loved, Shabangu.
The lavish ceremony took two months to plan and cost around $2,000, which is an exorbitant amount in the little village. Shabangu wore a frilly white wedding gown and Masilela sported a shimmery silver tux. The event was attended by some 100 people, with the pair exchanging vows, rings, and a kiss after they were pronounced husband and wife.
Even though the couple went through the elaborate ceremony, Shabangu — as well as the Masilela’s parents — insist that the wedding was just a ritual.
“I’m married and have five kids of my own, but I know that this is what the ancestors wanted – and now they are happy. It is a ritual. We are just playing now, but it is a sign that he will get married one day,” Shabangu, who is already married to her husband of 30 years, 65-year-old Alfred, and has children ranging in age from 27 to 37, added.
Consequently, the pair did not sign a marriage certificate and have reportedly gone back to their previous lives.
Meanwhile, Masilela has some plans of his own, the boy emphatically told the Daily Mail, “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.”
I understand this was only a play wedding so the boy could please his grandfather, and some people may think it's cute. But if this was a little girl with an older man especially taking pics kissing and what not like she's doing with that little boy, there would be outrage from all over and rightfully so! They have their beliefs and religion, I understand that, but this is not appropriate on any level!
Friday, March 22nd 2013 at 11:07AM
Siebra Muhammad
