Recently the king of Eswatini married his 16th wife who is decades younger than him. The young queen is former president Zuma’s daughter, Nomcebo Zuma and people have been wondering about King Mswati III’s wives. The first two wives of a Swazi king are chosen for him by the national councillors. These two have special functions in rituals and their sons can never become kings. The first wife must be a member of the Matsebula clan, the second of the Motsa clan. These wives are known as tesulamsiti.
The First wife: Queen LaMatsebula she is 55 years old or younger
King Mswati iii was given two ritual wives at the beginning of his reign and one of them is Queen LaMatsebula who is the King’s first wife. Her age is not known but she must be 55 years or younger since the king is 56 years old in 2024. When king Mswati began to reign he was 18 years old and its quite obvious he was given wives who are younger than him. Queen LaMatsebula has a degree in Psychology and Law. She gave birth to two sons and princes for the king.
The Second wife: Queen LaMotsa she is 55 years old
The second wife of the two ritual wives who were given to king Mswati at the beginning of his reign is Queen LaMotsa. The Queen turned 55 years old in 2024 and her birthday pictures were shared on Instagram. Apart from living a royal life, Queen LaMotsa is the United Nations Development Program Goodwill ambassador. She gave birth to four sons who are princes for the king.
The third wife: Queen LaMbikiza she is 55 years old
Queen LaMbikiza whose birth name is Sibonelo Mngometulu is the same age as the previous 2 wives. She is 55 years old as of 2024. Sibonelo is the first wife to be personally chosen by king Mswati in 1986. She has given birth to 3 children, two sons and one daughter. In 2001 she graduated with an LLB from Unisa and a graphic design from Limkokwing University in 2017. LaMbikiza is involved in the Swazi Royal Initiative to Combat AIDS (RICA).
The fourth wife: Queen LaNgangaza, she is 54 years old
King Mswati’s wife number 4 is Queen LaNgangaza whose birth name is Carol Dlamini. She is Patron of world organisation “Hospice at Home” previously headed by Diana, Princess of Wales. In 2024 Queen LaNgangaza turned 54 years old of age. She gave birth to 4 daughters only for king Mswati.
The Fifth wife: Putsoana Hwala, she is 50 years old
Putsoana Hwala was the fifth wife to be married by king Mswati before she left him in 2004 for South Africa. Before running away from the king, Putsoana was known as Queen LaHwala. She decided to fled from king Mswati iii in 2004 when she was 30 years. Today, Putsoana is 50 years old and she is believed to be in hiding in South Africa.
The sixth wife: Delisa Magwaza, she is 50 years old
Another wife to get married to the king was Delisa Magwaza who also fled from the king in 2004. This happened after she had an affair and cheated the king. In 2011 it was reported that she had married a South African businessman. Delisa Magwaza turned 50 years old in 2024. Delisa gave birth to two daughters for the king before she fled into South Africa.
The Seventh wife: Queen LaMasango, she died in 2018 aged 37
The seventh wife to be married by the Eswatini king is Queen LaMasango whose birth name was Senteni Masango. She died on 6 April 2018 allegedly having committed suicide which was never confirmed. At the time of her death she had been at her sister’s funeral a week earlier, apparently without the king’s consent. She was a painter. The late queen gave birth to two daughters for the king.
The eighth wife: Queen LaGija, aged 45 years old
Queen LaGija who was born as Angel Dlamini was married as the eighth wife of Eswatini king. In May 2012 she left the royal compound. She, however, marked her return to the Swazi royal household in 2018 by taking part in the Umhlanga Reed Dance and was also later seen at the 2018 World Trade Fair alongside the King’s 10th wife LaMahlangu and Ritual wife LaMatsebula. She is 45 years old in 2024 and has given birth to one daughter.
The Ninth wife: Queen LaMagongo she is 39 years old
The niece of Chief Mlobokazana Fakudze of Mgazini, Nontsetselo Magongo was married to king Mswati iii as his ninth wife. She is away from the spotlight unlike the other queens, but she notably attended the inauguration of South Africa’s 5th democratically elected President Cyril Ramaphosa in the country’s capital city; Pretoria at Loftus Versveld Stadium alongside the King on 25 May 2019. She is 39 years old as of 2024 and she gave birth to one son for the king.
The tenth wife: Queen LaMahlangu, she is 40 years old
Zena Soraya Mahlangu was married to king Mswati iii in 2002 as his tenth wife. She was born in 1984 therefore she is 40 years old as of 2024. She gave birth to two children, a son and a daughter for the king.
The eleventh wife: Queen LaNtentesa, she is 43 years old
In May 2005 the Eswatini king married Noliqhwa Ayanda Ntentesa as his 11th wife. She graduated from the Institute of Development Management in 2017 with a diploma in Human Resources Management. Ayanda is 43 years old as of 2024 and she gave birth to one daughter.
The twelfth wife: Queen LaDube she died in 2019 aged 31
King Mswati iii married his twelfth wife in June 2005 whose birth name was Nothando Mosa and she was referred to as queen LaDube. Unfortunately she died from skin cancer at the age of 31 in 2019. She had given birth to two daughters and one son before she passed away.
The thirteenth wife: Queen LaNkambule she is 36 years old
In 2007 the king married another wife who became his 13th wife of his kingdom. She is 36 years old this year. Her birth name before she became queen LaNkambule is Phindile Nkambule. She was chosen to be the king’s wife at the age of 17 in 2005. She gave birth to five daughters and son for the king.
The fourteenth wife: Queen LaFogiyane she is 29 years old
Sindiswa Dlamini, a former beauty queen became one of the royal queens in 2014 after being chosen at the 2013 reed dance. She gave birth to two daughters ever since she was married. She is 29 years old as of 2024.
The 15th wife: Queen LaMashwama she is 26 years old
Born in 1998 as Siphelele Mashwama is the daughter of Jabulile Mashwama; one of the country’s senators who was married to the king in 2017. That year she was married, her parents had to terminate her studies at Rochester University in the United States where she was studying. In 2021 she gave birth to one son to the king. She is currently 26 years old.
The 16th wife: Queen Nomcebo Zuma she is 22 years old
In 2024 king Mswati iii betrothed Jacob Zuma’s daughter Nomcebo Zuma to be his 16th wife. On the day of the reed dance, Nomcebo was 21 years old. We are yet to witness a marriage ceremony of the new queen in the coming months or years. [1]
