'Married at First Sight Mzansi’ Season 3 Star Prince Zwane's Previous Marriage Under Scrutiny
- Married at First Sight South Africa star Prince Zwane claimed his relationship with customary wife Ntokozo Ndlovu ended after a family meeting
- Ndlovu disputed this on the show, insisting she and Zwane are still married to this day
- Legal experts who examined the case warned that a family agreement alone cannot dissolve a customary marriage
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Source: UGC
Married at First Sight Mzansi star Prince Zwane has found himself at the centre of a legal storm after lawyers weighed in on whether he is still married to his customary wife, Ntokozo Ndlovu. The 37-year-old firefighter's marital status became the subject of heated debate after Sunday evening's episode forced the issue into the open.
Zwane told the show's experts and his on-screen wife, Esethu Seku, that both families had gathered to discuss the end of his relationship with Ndlovu. He said the families signed documentation confirming it was over after he made his first lobola payment, adding that the people who received portions of that payment had signed the relevant paperwork.
Ndlovu, however, told a very different story.
"As far as I'm concerned, we're still married," she said during the programme. "At the end of the day, he's my husband."
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The episode also revealed that Ndlovu had applied to appear on the current season of the show before withdrawing.
The show's resident experts were not convinced by Zwane's account. Bakhe Dlamini pointed to what he called a critical gap in the explanation, noting that "the separation/divorce was not finalised in a court of law." Fellow expert Thabang Mashigo backed this up by citing the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act, which requires a court process before a customary marriage can be formally dissolved.
A lobola letter from 2023, which featured in the episode, confirmed that families had negotiated the amount Zwane was expected to pay. He acknowledged paying half the agreed sum and that a traditional ceremony had taken place.
Legal experts weigh in on Prince Zwane's previous marriage
Attorneys who examined the circumstances were even more direct. Vincent Shela of Shela Attorneys Incorporated argued that paying only half the lobola did not make the customary marriage incomplete.
"We cannot come to the conclusion that this marriage is incomplete based on the fact that he only paid half of the lobola," Shela said, ultimately concluding that "Prince is fully married. I can't emphasise it enough — he is legally married."
Mary Jane Mphahlele of Mary Jane Mphahlele Attorneys Inc stressed that a court must grant a formal divorce. She pointed to Section 3 of the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act 120 of 1998, which requires that parties negotiate and celebrate a customary marriage according to customary law. Her advice to Zwane was straightforward:
"The best thing he can do is consult with an attorney and determine if indeed there is a valid customary marriage."
Mphahlele also raised serious questions about Zwane's MAFS union with Seku. If a valid customary marriage already existed at the time, she said his second marriage could be invalid or raise polygamy concerns.
"This second marriage that took place on Married At First Sight cannot exist," she said.
The controversy mirrors a similar dispute from last season involving MAFS couple Themba Khosa and Sponono Radebe. Until a court determines the legal status of Zwane's first marriage, questions about his on-screen union with Seku are unlikely to go away.
Source: UGC
CCTV shows Prince Zwide and Esethu Seku’s clash
Briefly News previously shared never-before-seen CCTV footage from Married at First Sight Mzansi captured Prince and Esethu in a heated argument.
The clip showed Esethu confronting Prince about abandoning their marital home the previous day, with tensions quickly escalating.
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Source: Briefly News
