South Africa goes wild for KFC marriage proposal

Footage of a South African man proposing to his partner in the fast-food franchise KFC midway through a meal is not only breaking the internet, it has seen multinationals as well as individuals coming forward to support the couple so they can have the wedding of their dreams.

The wedding, dubbed South Africa’s very own fast-food fairy tale by the BBC, has attracted top brands such as Audi, Total, Nedbank and Amstel as sponsors for Hector Kansi and Nonhlanhla Soldaat’s wedding, honeymoon and married life.

While the bystander who filmed the proposal mocked the man for being ‘broke’, South Africa united to offer a dream wedding to the couple.

Overnight sensation

In the video clip, captured by Kateka Malobola and shared by KFC South Africa on Twitter on November 7, the couple can be seen enjoying their meals when the man goes down on one knee and pops the question.

Digital sleuths

In what was one of the most heart-melting couple hunts in recent memory, the fast-food giant co-opted the micro-blogging site with its army of online detectives. The post has been retweeted over 20,000 times since and the hashtag #KFCProposal trended on the site.

The couple was tracked down on Friday, as pledges of support continued to pour in.

Later, the hashtag #StreetwiseWedding started trending with KFC and other brands promising the couple a dream wedding.

Bandwagon Effect

As strangers on Twitter started offering assistance to plan the big day, branded corporations also jumped on the bangwagon.

“Just like your chicken and our Coke® are the perfect pair, and we're all for bringing people together. The soft drinks for the wedding are on us!” tweeted South Africa’s official Coca Cola account.

“These honeymoon destinations look far. Someone needs to drive them there. We got you" tweeted South Africa’s official Audi account.

Travel site kulula.com has also vowed to gift the couple with a honeymoon in Cape Town.

The couple received offers of arranging the entire wedding, from drinks and food, to honeymoon destinations.

International brands as well as South African companies have since pledged thousands of pounds for the wedding.

South African celebrity chef Lesego Semenya has said he is happy to make a signature wedding cake for the couple. Other generous people have offered to make the bride’s dress, pay for the groom’s suit and donate rings.