Zena Soraya Mahlangu was born in 1984 and is the daughter of Lindiwe Dlamini, who works as the corporate communications manager of Swaziland's Post & Telecommunication, and Thulani Mahlangu, a radio engineer who died in a car crash in 1985. She is a distant relative of the Swazi Minister of Tourism, Environment, and Communication. On 9 October 2002, when Mahlangu was an eighteen-year-old high school student, she disappeared from her school. Her mother reported the abduction to the Swazi police the following day, but there was no response. Mahlangu was reportedly abducted by two men, Qethuka Sgombeni Dlamini and Tulujani Sikhondze, and was brought to live at the
Ludzidzini Royal Village as a
liphovela (fiancée) of King
Mswati III, who had seen her perform at the annual
Reed Dance and later met her at a palace function in September 2002. Upon hearing that Mahlangu was being prepared to become the next wife of the king, her mother threatened to sue, demanding that her daughter be returned to her custody.
Jan Sithole, the Secretary General of the
Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions, referred to the incident as a "national crisis". Among the criteria to be a
liphovela, a woman must not be a twin. Mahlangu had a twin brother, and therefore was technically not eligible to marry the king. The matter was brought before the High Court of Swaziland, but the Attorney General
Phesheya Mbongeni Dlamini intervened, allowing Mswati III to marry Mahlangu. The royal family repeatedly ignored the court during the case, refusing on multiple occasions to allow court-appointed women to interview Mahlangu to determine whether or not she wanted to marry the king. Dlamini was also not allowed to contact her daughter throughout the case. Trade unionists, opposition groups, civic officials, human rights activists, and lawyers condemned the royal family's actions. The
Law Society of Swaziland released a statement saying that the royal family's "conduct blatantly undermines the independence of the judiciary and directly interferes with the smooth administration of justice and the rule of law."
Vulindlela Msibi, the president of the
Human Rights Association of Swaziland, wrote a letter to Mswati III saying, "Such a practice, Your Majesty, is degrading, dehumanizing and traumatic to the dignity and person of women folk." ==References==