11 Facts About Zena Mahlangu

Zena Soraya Mahlangu was born on 1984 and is a Swazi royal and the tenth wife of Mswati III.

Zena Mahlangu's abduction led to a court case and international scandal, with various trade unions, organizations, and public figures, including Amnesty International, condemning the king and royal family's actions.

Zena Mahlangu officially married the king in 2010, taking the royal title Inkhosikati LaMahlangu.

Zena Mahlangu 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.

Zena Mahlangu's mother reported the abduction to the Swazi police the following day, but there was no response.

Zena 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 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.

Zena Mahlangu had a twin brother, and therefore was technically not eligible to marry the king.

The royal family repeatedly ignored the court during the case, refusing on multiple occasions to allow court-appointed women to interview Zena Mahlangu to determine whether or not she wanted to marry the king.

Zena Mahlangu formally became the king's tenth wife in 2010, taking up the title Inkhosikati LaZena Mahlangu.

Zena Mahlangu and Mswati III have two children: a son, Prince Saziwangaye, who was born in 2004 and a daughter, Princess Lomabheka, who was born in 2013.