An eight year-old South African school boy, Sanele Masilela has tied the knot with 61 year-old Helen Shabangu, who is already married and a mother of five.
According to the boy, he married the woman because the ghost of his dead ancestor told him to.
Huffington Post reports that he married Helen in accordance with the wishes of his dead ancestors, and his family provided Helen with £500 and paid a further £1,000 for the celebration.
The ceremony shocked the community but the family said it was a ritual and not legally binding. The couple did not sign a marriage certificate and do not have to live together. They have both returned to their normal lives.
The young boy`s mum, told Huffington Post that there was nothing wrong with the wedding and her son was “happy to get married and very excited”.
She added that it was her son’s late grandfather who asked him to get married “This is the first time this has happened in the family. Sanele is named after his grandfather who has never had a white wedding before he died so asked Sanele to get married. He chose Helen because he loves her. By doing this we made the ancestors happy. If we hadn’t done what my son had asked then something bad would have happened in the family.“
Helen, and her husband of 30 years also have no problem with it. According to the mother of five, it was “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.”
Little Sanele also reiterated this by saying he would have a “proper” wedding to a woman his own age when he is older. “I told my mother that I wanted to get married because I really did want to. 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 of my own age,” Huffington Post quoted him as saying.