By Mmatsheko Mohlabeng
Getting to the chapel on time was the big idea - but hijackers nearly spoilt the big day for a Soweto businesswoman.
All dressed up and waiting for her metro police escort, Happy Khumalo of Rockville was oblivious to the fact that her quartet of escorts were hot on the heels of a hijacker in Diepkloof.
Khumalo, who was to tie the knot with Armstrong "Armie" Ngidi, had hired the police to escort her entourage from Rockville to Hartbeespoort Dam on Saturday.
But before the trip, the four - in three German luxury cars and a 4x4 truck - responded to a call for assistance at a hijacking in Diepkloof.
Kgotso Chikane, a spokesperson for the City of Johannesburg, told The Star: "Police abandoned the wedding procession and responded to the call. Two suspects were arrested for hijacking a car belonging to Ivan Hide of Walkerville. The car was returned to the owner."
Metro police spokesperson Wayne Minnaar declined to give the names of the policemen.
Fortunately for Khumalo and Ngidi, the operation was so swift that it did not unduly affect the wedding.
Their by-invitation-only guests at the upmarket Pecanwood Golf Estate comprised the cream of high society.
They included television personalities like Nothemba Madumo, actor Vusi Kunene and radio personality Ernest Pillay. Former Bafana Bafana doctor Victor Ramathesele was the master of ceremonies.
The wedding service and luncheon got under way in a beautiful setting surrounded by fresh pink and white roses, with a mountain range and the dam as a backdrop.
"I have mixed feelings - I am excited and overwhelmed. I could not be happier," said a happy Khumalo before the ceremony.
She was dressed in a bare-shouldered, ivory-coloured, sequinned dress in satin with a long train. The dress was decorated with hearts, while her husband wore a striped black suit.