Sanele Masilela is now nine and his wife, Helen Shabangu, is 62 years old.

Sanele, a Grade 4 pupil, claimed to have been having a series of visions of his late grandfather, which were interpreted as a sign that his grandfather, Busy Masilela, who never married, wanted Sanele to do so on his behalf.

Sanele's mother, Patience Masilela, said the wedding attracted much international media interest last year. She said people who were not familiar with the ritual thought the couple were living together as husband and wife.

Last year's Valentine's Day wedding had all the elements of a real one: R7000 lobolo was paid for Shabangu, who wore a white wedding gown, and they kissed before exchanging rings and vows. The ceremony, it was said at the time, was not binding but merely a ritual to appease the ancestors.

Since that white wedding, the couple have returned to their normal lives - Sanele being just a schoolboy and his spouse a working woman.

Before yesterday, they had not seen one another since November.

Yesterday's wedding was held to introduce the groom to the bride's family in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga.

According to an agreement between the two families, much of last year's formal wedding needed to be repeated before the couple changed into traditional gear for the second part of the ceremony.

Shabangu's real husband, Abel Shabangu, was among the men who came to help to put up a tent and three gazebos. He also bought a three-tier wedding cake.

"I'm here to support my wife. We all want this day to go well. Our children couldn't come, but they also wish us well today," said Abel.