Mswati III of Swaziland

Mswati III
Mswati III in New York 2009
King of Swaziland
Reign 25 April 1986 – present (&000000000000002400000024 years, &0000000000000295000000295 days)
Coronation 25 April 1986
Predecessor Sobhuza II
Spouse 14 wives concurrently
Issue
24 children
House House of Dlamini
Father Sobhuza II
Mother Ntombi
Born 19 April 1968 (1968-04-19) (age 42)
Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital, Swaziland

Mswati III (born Makhosetive on April 19, 1968) is the king of Swaziland and head of the Swazi Royal Family. In 1986, he succeeded his father Sobhuza II as ruler of the southern African kingdom. He is generally considered to be an absolute monarch, as he has the authority to appoint the country's Prime Minister, members of the governing cabinet, and the judiciary.[1] However, he is bound to a certain degree by Swazi traditions and he does not have the authority to choose his heir.

Mswati III is known for his taste for luxury and his practice of polygamy, and has been criticized abroad for serving his personal needs at the expense of his country and people. In 2001 he attempted to curb the AIDS epidemic by invoking an ancient chastity rite, the umchwasho, that banned women under the age of 50 from sex. Within Swaziland, Mswati is a respected and largely popular figure.[1]

Contents

Early life

He is one of many sons of king Sobhuza II (who had 70 wives and at the time of his death left over 1000 grandchildren) and the only child of Ntombi Tfwala, also known as Inkhosikati LaTfwala, one of the king's younger wives. He was born at the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital, four months before Swaziland attained independence from Britain. When he and his mother were discharged from the hospital they went to live at one of king Sobhuza's residences of Etjeni near Masundwini Palace. His birth name was Makhosetive (King of Nations).

As a young prince, Makhosetive attended Masundwini Primary School and Lozitha Palace School. He sat for the Swaziland Primary Certificate examination in December 1982 at Phondo Royal Residence and got a First Class with merit in Mathematics and English. He developed a great interest in the royal guard, becoming the first young cadet to join the Umbutfo Swaziland Defence Force (USDF).

When king Sobhuza II died in 1982, the Great Council of State (the Liqoqo) selected the 14-year-old prince Makhosetive to be the next king.[2] For the next four years two wives of the late king Sobhuza II, Empress Dzeliwe Shongwe (1982–1983) and Empress Ntombi Tfwala (1983–1986), served as regent while he continued his education in England, attending Sherborne School, before he was called back to take over.

King

Swazi Royal Family

HM The Ndlovukati

  • HM the King
    • HRH Prince Majaha
    • HRH Princess Sikhanyiso
    • HRH Prince Lindaninkosi
    • HRH Princess Temaswati
    • HRH Princess Tiyandza
    • HRH Princess Tebukhosi
    • HRH Prince Bandzile
    • HRH Princess Sibahle
    • HRH Princess Temtsimba
    • HRH Princess Sakhizwe
    • HRH Prince Mcwasho
    • HRH Prince Saziwangaye
    • HRH Princess Makhosothando

He was introduced as Crown Prince in September 1983 and was crowned king on April 25, 1986, aged 18 years and 6 days, and thus making him the youngest reigning monarch until the ascension of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan on December 14, 2006; he was also the youngest head of state until Joseph Kabila took office on January 26, 2001 as President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The king and his mother, whose title is Indlovukazi (Great She-Elephant), rule jointly.

Today he is Africa's last absolute monarch in the sense that he has the power to choose the prime minister, other top government posts and top traditional posts. Even though he makes the appointments, he still has to get special advice from the queen mother and council, for example when he chooses the prime minister. In matters of cabinet appointments, he gets advice from the prime minister. He inherited a rule by decree, but did restore the nation's Parliament, which had been dissolved by his father in order to ensure concentration of power remained with the king.

The country has its own type of democracy called the Tinkhundla system and has a constitution which allows freedom of assembly and free speech for both the media and the public. The Swaziland media in conferences with other regional media houses (MISA) says it is free to report as it pleases.

In an attempt to mitigate the HIV and AIDS pandemic in 2001, the king used his traditional powers to invoke a time-honoured chastity rite (umcwasho, which encouraged all Swazi maidens to abstain from sexual relations for five years.[1] This rite banned sexual relations for Swazis under 50 years of age from 9 September 2001 and 19 August 2005 , but just two months after imposing the ban, he violated this decree when he married a 17-year-old girl, who became his 13th wife. As per custom, he was fined a cow by members of her regiment, which he duly paid.

Succession

In Swaziland no king can appoint his successor. Only an independent special traditional Council called the Liqoqo decides which of the wives shall be "Great Wife" and "Indlovukazi" (She-Elephant / Queen Mother). The son of this "Great Wife" will automatically become the next king.

The "Great Wife" must only have one child who is a boy (A king cannot have a sister or a brother) and be of good character. Her character affects her child's chances of ascending to the status of king. According to Swazi culture, a son cannot be the heir if his mother is not of good standing. She must not bear the maiden name of Nkhosi-Dlamini and she must not be a ritual wife (i.e. the eldest son is never the heir).[3]

Wives

The king currently has fourteen wives and 23 children. A Swazi king's first two wives are chosen for him by the national councillors. These two have special functions in rituals and their sons can never become kings. The first wife must be a member of the Matsebula clan, the second of the Motsa clan. According to tradition, he can only marry his fiancées after they have fallen pregnant, proving they can bear heirs. Until then, they are termed liphovela, or "brides".

In traditional Swazi culture, the king is expected to marry a woman from every clan in order to cement relationships with each part of Swaziland. This means that the king must have many wives.[3] In September 2008, Mswati III may choose his 14th wife.[4]

Titles and styles

Royal styles of
Mswati III
king of Swaziland
Coat of arms of Swaziland.png
Reference style His Majesty
Spoken style Your Majesty
Alternative style Sir

Reed Dance

King Mswati at the Reed Dance 2006

The Reed Dance is a traditional opportunity for Swaziland's maidens to pay tribute to the Queen Mother. Although the King has used the occasion to choose wives a few times, the ceremony is not about him primarily. The king's own children partake in this event.

The annual Umhlanga (Reed) Dance is an assembly of about 20,000 young maidens (recently reaching 100,000) who bring tall (4 m) reeds to present to the Queen Mother. These reeds are then used to build windbreaks around the Queen Mother's residence. The Reed Dance usually lasts for a week and the king only attends the last day as a sign of respect to his mother. He also uses the occasion to thank the young girls who have traveled long distances to attend the event by slaughtering cattle and presenting them with a feast before they return home.

Controversies

Mswati's reign has brought some changes in the government and political transformation. However, critics such as the People's United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO)[9] believe that these changes are solely aimed at strengthening and perpetuating the traditional order [10].

The king faced substantial criticism for his handling of the HIV/AIDS crisis. In 2000, he announced in a parliamentary debate that all HIV-positive people should be "sterilized and branded".[11]

Mswati III is generally considered to an absolute monarch, and international media has frequently portrayed him as a dictator with few checks and balances. Supporters of the king argue that although he is not entirely bound by the Constitution, he is bound by tradition and shares power with the Queen Mother, and is therefore not an "absolute" monarch. They also claim that both the Empress and the Tinkhundla system are popular in Swaziland as they represent the wishes of the aristocracy.

An unofficial referendum was held by the Constitutional Draft Committee headed by Prince David during the constitutional review process. Before then, two more reviews had been held by Vusela, a committee headed by Prince Mahlalengangeni, and another unofficial referendum, which was headed by Prince Mangaliso. However, critics argue that there has never been an actual or official referendum prior to the introduction of the new constitution.

Wealth

Mswati has been criticized for his lifestyle, especially by the media. Following criticism of his purchase of luxury cars, including a $500,000 luxury automobile, he banned the photography of his vehicles. According to the former CEO of the Office of the king, the purchases were personally funded and the king of Swaziland earns a high salary as Head of State, has investments within and outside the country and owns an unspecified amount of shares in different companies within Swaziland.

According to the Forbes 2009 list of the World's Richest Royals, king Mswati is worth a reported $100 Million USD.[12] This does not include a sum of about $10 Billion USD that his father king Sobhuza II put in trust for the Swazi nation during his reign, in which Mswati III is the trustee.

In January 2004 the Times of Swaziland reported that the king requested his government to spend about $15-million to redecorate three main palaces and build others for each of his 11 wives.[13] The Prime Minister's Office issued a press statement saying the article in the Times of Swaziland was "reckless and untrue" and that the proposal was for the construction of 5 State Houses, not Palaces, and the cost was only E19.9 million.[14] Later that year the go-ahead was given to build five new palaces at a cost of more than $4-million out of public funds.[15]

In August 2008, Swazi scouts marched through the capital protesting against the cost of a shopping spree taken abroad by nine of the King's thirteen wives. The demonstration was organized by Positive Living, a non-governmental organization for Swazi women living with AIDS.[16]

LaMahlangu controversy

According to accusations by Amnesty International, Zena Mahlangu, a high school student, disappeared from her school in October 2002. Her mother, Lindiwe Dlamini, learned that her daughter had been taken by two men, Qethuka Sgombeni Dlamini and Tulujani Sikhondze, and she reported the matter to the police. Some time later, she was told that her daughter was at Ludzidzini Royal Village and was being prepared to be the next wife of the king.[17] She demanded that her daughter be returned to her custody, and threatened to sue.

Among the criteria for a future Inkhosikati, the girl must not be disabled, or a twin; Liphovela LaMahlangu was the other half of a brother-sister twin set.[3] Zena was 18 and had agreed to be taken by the King, but remained silent. The matter went to the High Court, but Swaziland's Attorney-General Phesheya Dlamini intervened.[18] The engagement of Mahlangu to the king was announced in November and she remained at the Royal Palace. She was officially made king Mswati's bride in a traditional marriage ceremony in May 2004 forcing the mother to officially drop the case after it became clear that Zena had gone to the palace out of her own free will and had no intention of returning home.

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Bearak, Barry. "In Destitute Swaziland, Leader Lives Royally," New York Times. September 6, 2008.
  2. ↑ Simelane, Hamilton Sipho. (2005). "Swaziland: Reign of Mswati III," in Encyclopedia of African History, p. 1528.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Wayua, Muli. "A king, his culture, his wives," Daily Nation (Nairobi, Kenya). December 7, 2002.
  4. ↑ Ndzamela, Phakamisa. "Bare-breasted virgins compete for Swaziland king," Reuters. September 1, 2008.
  5. ↑ United Nations Development Programme: "UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Her Royal Highness Inkhosikati LaMotsa, speaks at the launch of the MDGs at Matsanjeni," 2007.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Ndiweni, Sikhumbuzo Ndiweni. "Swazi queens revolt," 24News.com. July 4, 2004.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 [tt_news=16857&no_cache=1 "Swazi King Mswati takes 12th wife"]. The Namibian. 14.06.05. http://www.namibian.com.na/index.php?id=28&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=16857&no_cache=1. Retrieved 2009-10-18. 
  8. ↑ "Swazi king picks young new wife". BBC News. 26.09.05. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4283932.stm. Retrieved 2010-08-17. 
  9. ↑ [1]
  10. ↑ [2]
  11. ↑ Held, David; Anthony G. McGrew (2002). "HIV/AIDS". Governing globalization: power, authority and global governance. Anthony G. McGrew. Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 121. ISBN 074562734X, 9780745627342. http://books.google.ca/books?id=UshmkxDiAWsC&pg=PA121&lpg=PA121&dq=mswati+sterilized+and+branded&source=bl&ots=j--m7X7ykY&sig=LLEK0Mx1ML9cv0t8ZOIgMmSiNNs&hl=en&ei=djXgSvXdJMnSlAf4h9iEDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CCAQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=mswati%20sterilized%20and%20branded&f=false. Retrieved 22 Oct 2009. 
  12. ↑ http://www.forbes.com/2009/06/17/monarchs-wealth-scandal-business-billionaires-richest-royals.html
  13. ↑ "king needs R100m for palaces for 11 wives". The Star (South Africa). January 12, 2004. http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=128&fArticleId=323589. Retrieved 2009-10-21. 
  14. ↑ "The Issue of "E1 Million Spent on Princess Sikhanyiso" and The Issue of "Building" Royal Palaces by Swaziland Government". Prime Ministers Office. 26 January 2004. http://www.gov.sz/home.asp?pid=3804. Retrieved 2009-10-21. 
  15. ↑ "Swazi king gets go ahead for wives' palaces". Independent Online. July 25, 2004. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=84&art_id=qw1090765262958B224. Retrieved 2009-10-21. 
  16. ↑ "Swazi anger at royal wives' trip," BBC News. August 21, 2008.
  17. ↑ Amnesty International: "Swaziland: Human rights at risk in a climate of political and legal uncertainty,"Index No. AFR 55/004/2004. July 29, 2004.
  18. ↑ "Swaziland's Royal Bridal Mess," CBS News. November 4, 2002.

References

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