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Saneie Masilela became the world youngest groom when he wedded a 62-year-old woman. At the time of their marriage, he was only nine years.
Now 13, the boy wedded the mother of five, Helen Shabangu, and a year later they renewed their vows to make the marriage official according to their South African traditions.
Their wedding was done before 100 guests including Helen’s husband Alfred Shabangu and her children who are aged between 32- and 42-years-old.
The two families claimed that the wedding was a ritual and that Masilela was told to do so by his dead ancestors.
The youngest of five, Masiela admitted to his mother that he wanted to get married and he was happy about it.
“I told my mother that I wanted to get married because I really did want to.” He said.
The school boy also acknowledged that he was happy he married Helen but he was going back to school and study hard.
"When I’m older I will marry a lady my own age. I chose Helen because I love her and, although we don’t live together all the time, we meet at the dumping site where my mother works regularly."
On her part, Helen said that she was comfortable and happy that he chose her for the wedding and that her family understood that it was only to make the ancestors happy.
“By doing this we made the ancestors happy. If we hadn’t done what my son had asked then something bad would have happened in the family." Masiela’s mother Patience Masilela remarked.
Getting pregnant for son’s 14-year-old BFF
Masilela’s wedding was in 2014, in 2015 a woman started dating a 14-year-old boy, her son’s best friend, and went ahead and tied the knot with him a year on. From Atlanta Georgia, Lisa Clark, then 37, went on to have two children with her teen husband Adrian Gonzalez.
In an interview, Lisa admitted that she was not happy about her marriage to the boy saying her son made her believe Adrian was 17.
In as much as she was not into her son’s BFF, the two started seeing each other and before long she got pregnant.
Her Christian family then compelled her to get married to the boy and they legally tied the knot when he was just 15.
She was sentenced soon after their wedding charged with statutory rape. She gave birth to their son while behind bars.
After being released, the couple resumed their relationship and went ahead and got their second child.
The two have since separated and are trying to co-parent their two children.
