One of media personality Anele Mdoda’s besties, Khaya Dlanga, took it upon himself to clarify the significance of the celebration between the AmaMfene and the Abathembu clans that took social media by storm.
According to the author, what took place over the weekend between Anele and her groom, Bonelela ‘Buzza’ James, was not a wedding; it was, however, the final stage of the lobola process and the ceremony called ukwamkela abakhwenyana (to welcome the groom and his family).
Khaya clarified this by saying in the isiXhosa custom, lobola is not a once-off payment, even if you can afford to do so. It is supposed to be done in stages and, traditionally, it is never entirely finished or completed. This is done deliberately because it ensures that the groom remains present and committed to the union of both families, rather than disappearing once the celebrations are done.
“The traditional wedding has not yet happened because it takes place at the groom’s family home. So while the couple are referred to as the bride and groom, this was not the traditional wedding itself.”
Just to clarify, what took place was not a wedding. It was the final stage of the lobola process, along with a ceremony called ukwamkela abakhwenyana, which is to say the formal acceptance of the groom by the bride’s family. (And please don’t get stuck on words like groom and… pic.twitter.com/bbLkUBtWDN
— Khaya Dlanga (@khayadlanga) April 24, 2025
Anele took to her X (formerly Twitter) page to share a glimpse of her blissful weekend.
Camagu otherwise pic.twitter.com/sjTXg06zMJ
— Anele Mdoda (@Anele) April 25, 2025
Also see: Khaya Dlanga gets dragged for leaking words on Anele Mdoda’s wedding
