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Mswati III

Mswati III
Ngwenyama
Mswati III in 2024
King of Eswatini
Reign25 April 1986 – present
Coronation25 April 1986
PredecessorSobhuza II
BornMakhosetive
(1968-04-19) 19 April 1968 (age 56)
Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital, Manzini, Protectorate of Swaziland
Spouse
16 wives concurrently
  • Nomsah Matsebula (first)
    Sindi Motsa (second)
    Sibonelo Mngometulu (third)
    LaNgangaza (Carol Dlamini) (fourth, since 1987)
    Putsoana Hwala (fifth)
    Delisa Magwaza (sixth, since 1993, b. 1973)
    LaGija (Angela Dlamini) (seventh, since 1998, b. 1979)
    Senteni Masango (eighth)
    Nontsetselo Magongo (ninth, since 2002, b. 1985)
    Zena Mahlangu (tenth, since 2002)
    Noliqhwa Ayanda Ntentesa (eleventh, since 2005, b. 1981)
    Nothando Dube (twelfth, since 2005)
    Phindile Nkambule (thirteenth, since 2007, b. 1990)
    Sindiswa Dlamini (fourteenth, since 2012, b. 1995)
    Siphelele Mashwama (fifteenth, since 2019, b. 1998)
    Nomcebo Zuma (sixteenth, since 2024, b. 2003)
Issue45 children
HouseDlamini
FatherSobhuza II
MotherNtfombi Tfwala
ReligionChristianity[1]
SignatureMswati III's signature

Mswati III (born Makhosetive; 19 April 1968)[2] is the Ngwenyama (King) of Eswatini and head of the Swazi royal family. He heads Africa’s last absolute monarchy, as he has veto power over all branches of government and is constitutionally immune from prosecution.[3][4]

He was born in Manzini in the Protectorate of Swaziland to King Sobhuza II and one of his younger wives, Ntfombi Tfwala.[5] 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.

With unrestricted political power and able to rule by decree, Mswati III (together with his mother, Ntfombi Tfwala, now Queen Mother [Ndlovukati]) is the last remaining absolute monarch in Africa and one of the only 12 remaining absolute national or subnational monarchs in the world.[6] Under the constitution, the king is the commander-in-chief of the defence force and commissioner-in-chief of police and correctional services and Mswati III exercises ultimate authority over all branches of the national government and effectively controls local governance through his influence over traditional chiefs.[7][8]

Under his reign, political dissent and civic and labor activism are subject to harsh punishment under sedition and other laws.[9] Political parties have been banned in Eswatini since 1973 when King Sobhuza II declared a state of emergency that has continued ever since.[10] Pro-democracy protests from 2021 onwards have been violently dispersed and political activists have been arrested, subjected to torture and other ill-treatment, and their homes have been raided by security forces.[11][12] The government exercises total control over the broadcast media, including the only privately owned TV channel, which belongs to the royal family. Almost all media outlets are controlled, directly or indirectly, by Mswati III.

Mswati III lives an opulent and lavish lifestyle which stands in sharp contrast to the lives of most Emaswazi people.[13][14][15][16][17][18] In 2022, an estimated 32% of the population lived below the $2.15/day international poverty line (measured by price-purchasing parity (PPP) in 2017) while 55% of the population was under the lower-middle-income country poverty line of $3.65/day.[19] Mswati III is known for his practice of polygamy (although at least two wives are appointed by the state) and currently has 16 wives.[20][21] Formerly named Swaziland, in 2018 Mswati III renamed the country Eswatini (formally the Kingdom of Eswatini) by decree.[22][23]

  1. ^ "Swaziland". U.S. Department of State.
  2. ^ Genealogy:SWAZILAND Archived 19 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine, World of Royalty
  3. ^ "About the Swazi Secrets investigation - ICIJ". 15 April 2024.
  4. ^ "How international gold dealers exploited a tiny African kingdom's economic dream - ICIJ". ICIJ. 15 April 2024.
  5. ^ "King Mswati III is born | South African History Online". Sahistory.org.za. 19 April 1968. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  6. ^ Staff (29 June 2021). "Armed forces open fire in crackdown on anti-monarchy protests in Eswatini". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  7. ^ "Eswatini: Freedom in the World 2022 Country Report". Freedom House. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  8. ^ "Eswatini". United States Department of State. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  9. ^ "Eswatini: Freedom in the World 2022 Country Report". Freedom House. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  10. ^ Sandner, Philipp (14 July 2014). "Swaziland: Africa's last absolute monarchy". dw.com. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  11. ^ "Human rights in Eswatini". Amnesty International. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  12. ^ Burke, Jason (24 January 2023). "Eswatini: murder of pro-democracy activist prompts outrage". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference pmo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference R100 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ IRIN; network, part of the Guardian development (20 March 2013). "Swaziland government sells maize donated by Japan and banks the cash". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  17. ^ "King of impoverished Swaziland increases household budget to $61m". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 14 May 2014. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  18. ^ Kelly, Jeremy (31 August 2023). "Swaziland king spends £13m on cars for his 15 wives". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  19. ^ "Overview". World Bank. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  20. ^ Laing, Aislinn (18 September 2013). "King of Swaziland chooses teenager as 15th wife". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  21. ^ Bearak, Barry (5 September 2008). "In Destitute Swaziland, Leader Lives Royally". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  22. ^ "Swaziland king renames country 'the Kingdom of eSwatini'". BBC News. 19 April 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  23. ^ "Times Of Swaziland". www.times.co.sz. Retrieved 31 August 2023.

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