PHOTOS: Despite People Living Poverty, Monarch Buys 19 Rolls Royce For His Wives
Despite Eswatini people living in poverty, the King of Swaziland, Mswati III Mswati has allegedly bought 19 Rolls Royce vehicles for his 15 wives and a customised Rolls Royce Cullinan SUV for himself.
Swaziland now known as Eswatini, is a small, landlocked monarchy located in the southern part of Africa.
A Twitter user, Mzilikazi wa Afrika, who is an award-winning South African journalist reports claim “4 trucks loaded with 20 Rolls Royce and one Rolls Royce Cullinan” were delivered to the small African country.
Of all the cars delivered, each of his wives gets at least one.
A video shared online purportedly shows the cars being driven out from the point of delivery to be delivered to the new owners.
According to the eSwatini’s reported that Ministry of Information Communications and Technology, confirmed that the King had indeed bought the vehicles.
The source reportedly said the vehicles arrived on Tuesday but was unsure on the exact number of the cars.
The report said “while the country mulls over Finance Minister Tito Mboweni’s medium-term budget speech on the country’s economic spiral, eSwatini King Mswati III has left several on the Twitter streets gobsmacked after a video surfaced apparently showing how he had gifted his wives brand new Rolls-Royce vehicles.
Just last week violent clashes broke out eSwatini with government workers complaining about the high living costs in the monarch.
Investigative journalist Mzilikazi wa Africa shared a picture and video of what he described as the brand new buys for the king’s wives.
While the monarch has over 13 wives, footage of the cars only shows a few of the similar-looking Rolls-Royces driving out of what seems like a compound, still with a few stickers indicative of their new nature.
A source, from eSwatini’s Ministry of Information Communications and Technology, confirmed to The Citizen that the king had indeed bought the vehicles. She said the vehicles arrived on Tuesday but was unsure on the exact number of the cars.
It was reported that the protests were in relation to the workers accusing King Mswati III of draining public coffers at the expense of his subjects.
Watch the video:
eSwatini civil servants, including teachers and other workers, are furious after seeing trucks jam-packed with high-end cars for the royal family.
eSwatini King Mswati III has enraged civil servants with his new fleet of luxury rides.
The monarch recently blew millions on countless whips for his wives and the move has sparked protests and citizens are accusing the leader of looting the nation’s money.
Reports reaching Newsflash247 indicate that the last absolute African monarchy was rocked by protests on Thursday with demands of better income opportunities for citizens.
According to sources, the royal family was accused of draining the nation’s finances to fund their lavish lifestyles.
Over 700 civil servants took part in the strike against an increased cost of living while their ruler lives large.
While the royal family denied using public funds to purchase the vehicles, R62.5 million a month is paid over to them in allowances by the government.
Worth around R2.8 billion, one of Africa’s wealthiest leader’s reliance on the state raises more questions than answers.
King Mswati III profile
According to Wikipedia, Mswati III (born Makhosetive; 19 April 1968) is the King (Swazi: Ngwenyama, Ingwenyama yemaSwati) of Eswatini and head of the Swazi Royal Family.
He was born in Manzini, Eswatini, to King Sobhuza II and one of his younger wives, Ntfombi Tfwala.
He was crowned as Mswati III, Ingwenyama and King of Swaziland, on 25 April 1986 at the age of 18, thus becoming the youngest ruling monarch in the world at that time. Together with his mother, Ntfombi Tfwala, now Queen Mother (Ndlovukati), he rules the country as an absolute monarch. Mswati III is known for his practice of polygamy (although at least two wives are appointed by the state) and currently has 15 wives.His policies and lavish lifestyle have led to local protests and international criticism.
Early life
Mswati III is one of many sons fathered by the previous king, Sobhuza II (who had more than 125 wives during his reign of 82 years), and the only child of Ntfombi Tfwala, also known as Inkhosikati LaTfwala, one of Sobhuza’s younger wives. He was born at the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital in Manzini, four months before Eswatini attained independence from the United Kingdom. When he and his mother were discharged from the hospital, they went to live at one of Sobhuza’s residences, Etjeni, near the Masundwini royal residence. His birth name was Makhosetive (lit. “Kings of Nations”).
As a young prince, Makhosetive attended Masundwini Primary School and later Lozitha Palace School. He sat for the Swaziland Primary Certificate examination in December 1982 at Phondo Royal Residence and received 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 on 21 August 1982, the Great Council of State (the Liqoqo) selected the 14-year-old prince Makhosetive to be the next king. For the next four years two wives of Sobhuza II, Queen Dzeliwe Shongwe (1982–1983) and Queen Ntfombi Tfwala (1983–1986), served as regent while he continued his education in the United Kingdom, attending Sherborne School (International College), before he was called back to ascend to the throne.
Kingship
Mswati was introduced as Crown Prince in September 1983 and was crowned king on 25 April 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 14 December 2006; he was also the youngest head of state until Joseph Kabila took office on 26 January 2001 as President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The king and his mother, whose title is Indlovukati (“Great She-Elephant”), rule jointly.
Today King Mswati III 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 ruled 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.
In 2004, Mswati promulgated a new constitution that allows freedom of speech and assembly for the media and public, while retaining the traditional Tinkhundla system. Amnesty International has criticized the new constitution as inadequate in some respects.
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) under the patronage of a princess, which encouraged all Swazi maidens to abstain from sexual relations for five years. This was last done under Sobhuza II in 1971.
This rite banned sexual relations for Swazis under 18 years of age from 9 September 2001 and 19 August 2005, but just two months after imposing the ban, he violated this decree when a 17-year-old liphovela (royal fiancée) was chosen, who became his 13th wife. As per custom, he was fined a cow by members of her regiment, which he duly paid.
Mswati has visited Taiwan seventeen times as of June 2018, and has promised to continue recognizing the Republic of China instead of the People’s Republic of China.
Family and succession
The king currently has 15 wives and 23 children. A Swazi king’s first two wives are chosen for him by the national councillors. There are complex rules on succession. Traditionally the king is chosen through his mother as represented in the Swazi saying Inkhosi, yinkhosi ngenina, meaning “a king is king through his mother”. According to tradition, he can marry his fiancées only after they have fallen pregnant, proving they can bear heirs. Until then, they are termed liphovela, or “concubines”.
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) believe that these changes are solely aimed at strengthening and perpetuating the traditional order. His attendance at the May 2012 Sovereign Monarchs lunch, to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, caused some controversy, given criticisms of his regime’s human rights record.
Eswatini has been described as having been gripped by years of fiscal indiscipline, government corruption, and lavish lifestyles of the royal family. The nation has also been described as being on the brink of economic disaster due to these factors. Under Swazi law and custom, the king is vested with virtually all powers of the state. Despite Eswatini having a prime minister, Mswati holds supreme executive authority over the legislature and courts.
Mswati’s reign has been criticized for its several alleged human rights violations. His regime has been accused of using torture and excessive force to control the masses as well as blatant discrimination against various dissenting groups. His regime has been accused of extrajudicial killings by his forces, along with arbitrary arrests, detentions, and unwarranted searches and seizures of homes and property. His government has restricted freedom of speech, assembly and association, and has harassed activists and journalists. The government has reportedly targeted the LGBT community, labor leaders, and activists against child labor, among other groups. The courts took little or no action to punish Mswati’s actions or the officials who committed the abuses.
He has been accused of kidnapping women he desires to marry, although no case can be brought against him. In addition, in 2000 he allegedly called for a parliamentary meeting to debate if HIV-positive people should be “sterilized and branded”.
Wealth
Mswati has been criticized for his lavish lifestyle, especially by the media; in one report he has been accused of living a luxurious lifestyle while the people of his country are starving. In the 2014 national budget, parliament allocated $61 million (US) for the King’s annual household budget, while 63% of Swazis live on less than $1.25 per day.
Following criticism of his purchase of luxury cars, including a $500,000 DaimlerChrysler’s flagship Maybach 62 luxury automobile, he banned the photography of his vehicles.
According to the Forbes 2009 list of the World’s 15 Richest Royals, King Mswati is worth a reported $200 million. In January 2004 the Times of Swaziland reported that the king asked his government to spend about $15-million to redecorate three main palaces and build others for each of his 11 wives.
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 €19.9 million.
Later that year the go-ahead was given to build five new buildings at a cost of more than $4-million out of public funds.
In August 2008, Swazi scouts marched through the capital protesting 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.
Mswati has a personal stake in a large portion of Eswatini’s economy which is a factor in its below-average economic growth for a Sub-Saharan nation. As an absolute monarch, he holds the power to dissolve parties, and can veto any legislation parliament passes.
LaMahlangu controversy
According to accusations by Amnesty International, Zena Mahlangu, an 18-year-old 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. She demanded that her daughter be returned to her custody, and threatened to sue.
Among the criteria for a liphovela, (future bride), the girl must not be disabled, or a twin; Zena Mahlangu was half of a brother-sister twin set, and therefore not eligible. The matter went to the High Court, but Swaziland’s Attorney-General Phesheya Dlamini intervened. She has since had two children, and formally became the king’s wife in 2010.
Amnesty International said:
The king and his agents have violated the internationally recognized human rights of women and girls, including their right not to be arbitrarily detained and the right not to be subjected to forced marriage.
Name change
On 19 April 2018, King Mswati III changed the name of the country to Eswatini. The change was to mark the country’s 50th anniversary of independence. 19 April is actually the king’s birthday, though the actual anniversary was indeed 6 September of that same year. Mswati III wanted the name Eswatini which is the ancient original name for the country and this change was to give up the previous colonial name Swaziland.
Newsflash Nigeria is an online newspaper that is developed and written exclusively for Nigerians. It’s packed with up-to-the-minute Local and National Economy News, Share & Capital Market, Health, Sports, Education, Technology, Business and Opinions.
To make further advert enquiries or place an order, please contact us at [email protected] and +2348053316946 and WhatsApp number 08033546732
FOLLOW US ON GOOGLE
