Swazi Monarch Chooses 14th Spouse Shortly After the Annual Reed Dance Festival

Swaziland’s King Mswati III has selected his 14th wife, 19-year-old Siphele Mashwama, shortly after the annual Umhlanga or Reed Dance ceremony, which saw the participation of about 40,000 maidens.

The King is traditionally expected to choose a new wife each year from the virgins involved in the traditional chastity rite conducted at the Ludzidzini Royal Palace, near the capital city of Mbabane. This latest appointment was communicated to the media over the weekend by an official from the royal household, Hlangabeza Mdluli, who mentioned that the 49-year-old King’s new wife will accompany him to New York for the recently held 72nd United Nations General Assembly.

Siphele Mashwama is the daughter of Swaziland’s cabinet minister, Jabulile Mashwama, and is a graduate of the Waterford Kamhlaba World University College in Mbabane. King Mswati III has divorced three wives and has over 30 children. He became the Crown Prince in 1983 and ascended to the throne in 1986 at the age of 18, succeeding his father, King Sobhuza II, who ruled from 1921 until his death in 1982.

### More about the annual Reed Dance ceremony:
This traditional chastity rite, which occurs annually, involves thousands of maidens who camp at the Ludzidzini royal residence, home to the Queen Mother. They march to the Engabezweni royal residence where they are commissioned by King Mswati III. After this, they venture into surrounding communities to gather tall reeds, organized in age groups and guided by male guards.

The maidens are responsible for bundling the reeds and returning them to the royal residence the following day, where they are utilized to repair reed fences and buildings. After a day of rest, they engage in baths, often in rivers, and prepare their traditional attire, which includes bead necklaces, anklets, skirts, and sashes.

Dressed in skirts and sashes with their bosoms exposed as per custom, and holding the knives they used to cut the reeds to symbolize their virginity, they march to the forecourt of the King’s palace where the royal family, guests, tourists, and the public are assembled. During this ceremony, the maidens showcase their cultural heritage through singing and dancing for the King, who ultimately selects a new wife.

### Connotation
The annual ceremony, established in the 1940s, aims to preserve women’s chastity before marriage, serve the Queen Mother, and strengthen solidarity among women as they collaborate in this traditional practice.