South Africa: Jobless Dad Sells Car and Cow for Dream Wedding

6 May 2026
Scrolla (Johannesburg)
  • Mphakamise Nxumalo lost his job but sold his car and a cow to marry Ayanda Mdluli in rural Hluhluwe recently.
  • Touched social media users now call him the groom of the nation and are begging businesses to give him work.

A jobless father of ten gave up his car and a cow to pay for a dream wedding.

Mphakamise Nxumalo, 42, married Ayanda Mdluli at his family home in kaMdukwa village, Hluhluwe. The couple has four daughters together.

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Nxumalo lost his Mpumalanga job during the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020. The couple packed up and moved back to northern KwaZulu-Natal near the Mozambique border.

Despite having no work, Nxumalo chased his dream of marrying Mdluli after they fell in love in 2016.

Speaking to the Ukhozi FM Afternoon Drive Show on Monday, Nxumalo broke down the heavy cost of the celebration.

He sold his car for R25,000 and handed over a cow for R15,000 to clear the wedding bills. He also paid the lobola in full, telling the radio station the move made him proud as a man.

Mdluli stood before guests in the Nxumalo family yard and promised to love him unconditionally. Neighbours, friends and family danced to celebrate the union.

The rural wedding sparked a massive reaction online. Social media users named Nxumalo the groom of the nation.

People are now pleading with good Samaritans to find him a job so he can support his family.

Read the original article on Scrolla.

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