By Aurelia Dyantyi
A year after mourning the death of his son, former president Nelson Mandela has reason to smile, or even break into his famous Madiba dance.
This weekend, the statesman will open up his home in Qunu, outside Mthatha, Eastern Cape, to hundreds of well-wishers from all over the world as his eldest grandson, Mandla, ties the knot.
If at all possible, the family hopes Madiba won't be the centre of attention.
Instead, the spotlight will be on the towering Mandla and his beautiful bride, Tando Mabunu.
The two-day wedding festivities start on Saturday afternoon with a white wedding.
The young Mandela will step out in a black suit while his bride will be resplendent in a white gown designed by Johannesburg couturier, Andre Croucamp.
Sunday will be dedicated to song and dance as the couple pronounce their vows in a traditional Xhosa ceremony fit for royalty.
The couple will be decked in umbhaco, traditional Xhosa regalia.
More than 700 invited guests are expected to attend the wedding, but the couple revealed that this ceremony is a mere formality, since they tied the knot almost two years ago.
Even though the carefully-guarded guest list is rumoured to have instantly recognisable names, the programme reveals a truly intimate affair.
Apart from Mandela, who will say a word or two to the couple, the rest of the speakers are friends and family - the majority of them young people.
Mandla said earlier plans to observe the ceremony, were shelved when his father, the late Makgatho Mandela, took ill.
A self-confessed traditionalist, Mandla revealed that his grandfather's sprawling rural home was the perfect setting for their wedding and that Tembu traditions would be observed.
One such tradition was the naming of the bride, an honour which was given to Madiba.
He named the new member of the family Nodayimani, after one of his stepmothers.
Explaining the significance of the name, Mandla said his grandfather used it as a symbol of rebirth into the Madiba clan, especially the house of Gadla, Mandela's father.
However, after the ceremony the couple will not be whisked off to an exotic holiday resort to enjoy their honeymoon.
Instead, they will be rushing back to university in the hope of following in the footsteps of their world-renowned grandfather.