Polokwane - Julius Malema has thanked his mother-in-law for allowing him to marry her daughter.
The EFF leader put aside politics at the weekend as he tied the knot with his sweetheart Mantwa Matlala.
Malema was in a mellow mood on Saturday as he told his mother-in-law that while he was known for his militancy, he was in fact a softie at heart.
“He said: ‘I want to thank mama, because it could have been someone who can’t differentiate between politics and my social life’,” a source who attended the private ceremony at tIhe weekend told The Star.
“I actually have a good heart,” Malema said, according to the source who requested anonymity.
Matlala comes from the same neighbourhood as Malema in Seshego’s Zone 1, outside Polokwane in Limpopo.
The two-day ceremony began on Saturday at the bride’s house and the second leg of the traditional wedding ended on Sunday at Malema’s grandmother’s house.
The glittering event was a strictly private affair, with only invited guests. Guests were expected to produce identification at security checkpoints, and those allowed in had to put on wristbands.
Malema had made it clear earlier that journalists and uninvited individuals would not be welcome at the event.
Armed security personnel kept a close watch on two massive marquees put up to accommodate guests and relatives.
At both households, the areas in the vicinity of the events were bounded by makeshift barricades, and spectators and bystanders were unable to see what happened near the marquees.
Streets leading to the venues had been cordoned off with neighbours’ permission.
But late on Sunday at the groom’s home, security was relaxed. Ordinary people were allowed through the security checkpoint, but were not allowed into the marquee.
The Star also got a glimpse of the final stages of the wedding from outside the marquee. Dinaka, a traditional dance group of men who blow homemade flutes, graced the event. The group’s name, Magana go Buswa, translates as “those who don’t want to be governed”.
A dance troupe, Faranani, made up of women from Sibasa near Thohoyandou, also performed.
Some revellers who had not been invited as guests jumped at the opportunity when security personnel wearing black suits, white shirts and red ties let them pass through the check point. Khomotjo Maitja joined the queue for a free glass of beer. “We were not invited but we are having a good time,” he said.
But while revellers were allowed to drink the free beer as much as they wished, the security contingent stopped those who left carrying glasses of alcohol at the exit point.
moloko.moloto @inl.co.za
The Star