Couple Mocked Online for Getting Engaged at KFC–Then Companies Step In to Fund Their Dream Wedding

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When a man was spotted proposing to his now-fiancée in a South African Kentucky Fried Chicken eatery, the moment was posted online. And some online viewers mocked his choice of location.

The lovebirds got the last laugh, however, when their public proposal went viral; a series of global companies rallied to their aid in the name of love, offering to help sponsor the wedding of their dreams.

The sweet proposal was caught on camera by a bystander, Kateka Malobola, who spotted the couple inside the chicken restaurant in Vaal, South Africa, and was bowled over by the spontaneous romance. KFC South Africa saw and shared Malobola’s video on their Twitter account, congratulating the couple and trying to track them down.

“Mzansi please help us find this beautiful couple,” the fried-chicken chain tweeted on Nov. 7, 2019, adding: “[R]e batla ho ba blesser (we want to be blessers).”

It worked. Just 24 hours later, KFC updated their followers:

“South Africa, you guys are amazing! We’ve found the beautiful couple, and looks like we’re having a #StreetwiseWedding y’all. We’re meeting Bhut' Hector and his lovely bride Nonhlanhla, we’ll keep you posted.”

The couple was identified as Hector Mkansi and Nonhlanhla Soldaat, and as it turned out, Mkansi had put a lot of preparation into the public proposal.

“After shopping we usually sit and eat, but he had specifically asked that I wear my pink dress,” Soldaat told South Africa’s Times Live. “He sent me to buy a drink elsewhere. I was surprised, because we could have just bought it there, but I went. Little did I know!”

Mkansi added, “My wife loves food, she loves chicken. But to be honest, this is where I can afford food for my whole family. I don’t have money, so I can’t afford the things I want to do for her.”

The couple did in fact marry in December 2018 but at the time could not afford the wedding they dreamed of. Soldaat’s new, improved engagement ring was playfully tucked into a small bag of fries at KFC, and the sweet moment that Soldaat said “yes” was caught on camera.

“He knows I’m shy, so that was overwhelming for me,” Soldaat later admitted.

The groom explained, “I wanted her to feel special and loved.”

©Twitter | audisouthafrica

©Twitter | StandardBankZA

©Twitter | McDonalds_SA

The happy couple, who have been together since 2010, can now celebrate their love in style; after their proposal story went viral and they were identified, the couple was inundated with pledges from numerous corporations wanting to help them realize their dream wedding.

Among numerous elaborate gestures (think free rings, dresses, and a honeymoon), Audi offered a car to get them to their honeymoon destination, McDonald’s offered to send the couple to Cape Town to see Toni Braxton, and Standard Bank SA even offered to clear their debts.

“Our phones wouldn’t stop ringing. People were telling us we are famous,” Soldaat explained to Times Live, adding, “I needed a pinch; it was too much!”

Malobola, who released a followup video on Twitter expressing his shock and delight after the proposal video went viral, fully supported the happy couple. “I’m not as brave as he is,” Malobola said. “He went down in front of everybody at KFC and proposed.

“Let’s not spread hate,” he added, addressing the critics. “Embrace this thing called love!”

According to Metro, the soon-to-be-married couple is chatting with KFC and numerous affiliate companies about how to realize a dream wedding of such epic proportions. KFC has promised to update the now-humungous “KFC Wedding” fanbase through their social media platforms.

For Mkansi and Soldaat, a very public proposal is turning into a fairytale, happily-ever-after.