Kingdom of Swaziland

[EtienneDuchessofBurgundy]

Wife No 11
24/08/2003 17:17 - (SA)

Mbabane - Southern Africa's last absolute monarch, Swaziland's King Mswati III, has picked his 11th bride - and has already paid an "admission of guilt" fine for courting a virgin.

The Times Sunday newspaper reported that Noliqwa Ntentesa, 17, was escorted to the palace by the same royal aides who landed in court last year for allegedly kidnapping the king's 10th bride, a schoolgirl.

That case made international headlines as the mother of Zena Mahlangu charged the two men with abducting her daughter - in a first for the 35-year-old King Mswati, whose father, King Shobuza II, had more than 70 wives at the time of his death in 1982.

The mother eventually decided to postpone the case indefinitely.

Chastity rite

Last week, King Mswati, also known as the "Ngonyama" (lion), paid a fine for breaking the "Umchwasho" chastity rite which bars young maidens from sex for five years.

The rule is an attempt to combat a high HIV/Aids rate in the tiny country.

The king introduced the chastity rite, under which unmarried women under 23 known as Imbali YeMaswati (flowers of the nation) must wear "don't touch me" woollen tassels, in September 2001.

The weekend newspaper said King Mswati had now paid an "admission of guilt" fine of one head of livestock for breaking the chastity rite, confirming speculation that Ntentesa was the newest arrival in his string of wives.

"Noliqwa is now an official bride to the king and she is very happy about the latest developments, and she has accepted that her future is with the royal family," a source close to her family said.

Ntentesa's father, a maths lecturer at the University of Swaziland, said he would have challenged his daughter's "abduction" in court, but did not have the money to do so.

The newspaper said Ntentesa was expected to be paraded as the king's new bride during the annual reed dance in September, a traditional ceremony where young maidens dance bare-breasted in front of the king for him to choose his next wife.

Ntentesa is said to be enjoying the royal life in a luxurious guesthouse next door to the queen mother.

She has been assigned a messenger to report all her needs to the king, is driving a five-series BMW and freely uses a royal credit card to finance her needs and entertain her friends.

 

[Catharine]

Oh My!!! Eleven??

 

[EtienneDuchessofBurgundy]

The Gods Must Be Angry......Hailstorm Cuts Swaziland Dance Short

By DINA KRAFT

Associated Press Writer

Young Swazi maidens who were performing in the country's annual reed dance react after a hail storm halted the last day of the ceremony at Ludzidzini, Swaziland, Friday Sept. 5, 2003. The annual reed dance brings unmarried girls from all over Swaziland to pay homage to the Swazi Queen Mother, Ntombi Thwala. In recent years Swazi King, Mswati III, has also used the occasion to select a new wife. (AP Photo/Naashon Zalk)

Wearing beads, wrap skirts and woolen tassels, thousands of girls danced for Swaziland's king on Friday, hoping to be chosen as his 12th queen. But hail and lightning broke up the ceremony.

Some said the weather was a good sign for this drought-stricken land, but others disagreed.

"It's a blessing, a blessing," said one man as the rain-soaked crowds rushed past him, jumping over metal barriers and pushing toward shelter.

However, one woman said word had spread that lightning struck the royal cattle pen just moments before King Mswati III made his way to the ceremony. Cattle are symbols of wealth and status in many southern African countries, including Swaziland.

The lightning, the woman said, signified discord in the royal house and should be seen as a possible warning that the ancestors - who are revered in many African cultures - have been angered. She spoke on condition she not be named.

Mswati, Africa's last absolute monarch, has balked at recent pressure from his subjects to introduce democratic reforms. He has also been criticized for breaking his own ban on sexual relations with underage girls, taking one as a recent wife.

Each girl at Friday's abbreviated ceremony - called a "reed dance" - wore a tasseled scarf, the symbolic chastity belt the king has ordered all his young female subjects to wear.

Frustrated by the high rate of HIV infection and describing teenage girls as "flowers that should be protected," the king in 2001 reinstated the traditional chastity rite of umchwasho - banning sexual relations for unmarried girls under age 18.

Some 20,000 girls participated in Friday's ceremony.

To avoid the annual ceremony, some parents are known to take their daughters out of the country the week of the reed dance.

At the ceremony, girls present reeds to the queen mother to help in the symbolic rebuilding of the fence around her palace and then dance before the queen mother and the king.

The king, who turns 35 on Saturday, has ruled this southern African kingdom since 1986. He has 11 wives and can marry as often as he pleases.

Mswati's father, King Sobuza II, who died in 1982 after 60 years on the throne, had over 70 wives.

 

[EtienneDuchessofBurgundy]

Swaziland's king faces increasing disaffection
New York Times
MBABANE, SWAZILAND--Not every grand event goes off without a hitch, but it is safe to say that few parades have been so decisively rained on, literally and otherwise, as the one over which King Mswati III presided here Friday.

A ferocious thunderstorm descended on this capital city Friday afternoon at the climax of the annual dance of Swaziland's young women before the king.

The king frequently uses the occasion to select candidates for his stable of wives. Not so Friday: An onslaught of pea-size hail sent perhaps 15,000 women, each one stripped to the waist for the coming-of-age rite, fleeing the parade grounds despite urgings over loudspeakers that they channel the storm's energy into their dancing.

Witnesses said the hail and a subsequent cloudburst erupted just as footmen were unrolling a red carpet so that the 35-year-old king could join the dance and begin his inspection.

"When the king arrived at the stadium, it wasn't that serious," said 17-year-old Bongiwe Dlamini, who lives with her parents and eight brothers and sisters on the capital's outskirts. "But then there were huge black clouds, and when the hailstones started, we ran for cover."

It was an especially bad day in what has not been a good 12 months for the eccentric king's extravagant and autocratic style of rule.

Political opposition to the monarchy has been banned for 30 years, since Mswati's father scrapped a British-style constitution and declared himself to be the law, rather than a figurehead monarch.

But open criticism of the monarchy has risen markedly this year. It is fueled by a depressed economy, a public-health catastrophe -- Swaziland has one of the world's highest HIV infection rates, and life expectancy at birth is but 37 years -- and the king's own taste for excess.

Mswati, or "the Lion," as he is known here, is so all-powerful that his subjects address him on their knees, and he can overrule court decisions and ignore his own decrees. In a country where unemployment runs to 40 percent and where two of every three people live in poverty, he has bestowed luxury cars on his nine wives (he is engaged to two more women) and their mothers.

Two years ago, saying that he wanted to stop the spread of AIDS and promote modesty, he forbade the wearing of pants by young women and ordered them to abstain from sex until age 19, only to break his own rule not long afterward by selecting a 17-year-old girl as his next wife. To much disdain here, Mswati fined himself one ox for the offense.

In the last year, critics have become increasingly willing to challenge royal authority. In July, an underground group, the Swaziland Youth Congress, called for its members to carry out armed attacks against the government. Last month, the country's labor union staged a rare, organized protest for three days, blocking a major border crossing with South Africa.

A new Mswati-endorsed constitution, preserving most of the king's all-encompassing powers, has been ridiculed by opponents. But journalists who criticize royal institutions too firmly are either arrested or hounded out of their trade.

Mswati has a firm grip on power, most analysts say. But "these actions are chipping away at the popularity of the monarchy and at the king's flexibility" to rule without question, Nomthetho Simelanne, a political scientist at the University of Swaziland, said in a telephone interview.

Then there is the matter of the king's libido. Mswati created a major stir last September when, days after the last so-called reed dance, an 18-year-old who was in the procession disappeared from her school, apparently spirited to royal quarters to become a wife-in-waiting.

In an unheard-of challenge to Africa's only remaining absolute monarch, the young woman's mother sued for her return. But the courts did not act, the monarchy announced the couple's engagement and the woman has not been seen since.

The king has ample precedent for such behavior: His father, King Sobhuza II, had more than 100 wives. But critics say the dances, once an honored element of Swazi culture, have been devalued by Mswati's antics. Their popularity is said to have declined in recent years.

None of the young women interviewed after Friday's rainout voiced any unhappiness at performing bare-breasted for the king, though.

"I enjoy taking part in the reed dance, because this culture protects my pride as a girl, and this is where I can display it," Dlamini said.

Swaziland's state-run news filled out its parade report Friday night with video clips of an earlier sun-washed procession, adding that parade-day rain is regarded as a blessing. But this was the first procession in memory that was a washout.

 

[EtienneDuchessofBurgundy]

Swazi King Picks Bride Number 12THULANI MTHETHWA
Associated Press

MBABANE, Swaziland - Swaziland's King Mswati III selected his 12th bride on Thursday, less than a week after he picked bride No. 11 from thousands of young Swazi maidens, royal sources said.

Mswati's 12th bride was identified as 18-year-old Nomonde Fihla, who was crowned the first princess in the Miss Swaziland 2003 pageant last month. In an interview at the time, she told a magazine she did not believe in polygamy.

Fihla was one of thousands of maidens who attended this year's annual reed dance ceremony, when the king, 35, picks a bride. In the traditional ceremony, the young women dressed in little more than beads and traditional skirts dance before the king to impress him.

Mswati, Africa's last absolute monarch, has balked at recent pressure from his subjects to introduce democratic reforms. He has also been criticized for breaking his own ban on sexual relations with underage girls, taking one as a recent wife.

The families of some brides have even begun resisting him. Lindiwe Dlamini, the mother of wife number 10, last year asked the High Court to force the royal family to release her 18-year-old daughter from a royal guest house where the king was keeping her before the wedding.

Last November, Dlamini abandoned the lawsuit for now, saying she had little chance of winning.

The father of Noliqwa Ntentesa, bride number 11, also briefly sought legal protection for his 17-year-old daughter. Ntentesa's father declined to challenge his daughter's selection in court because he couldn't afford it.

 

[EtienneDuchessofBurgundy]

Swazi king's wife in hiding after affair tale

September 09 2003 at 04:13AM




By Sammy Were


Mbabane - Swazi policemen were sent out on Sunday to buy up all copies of the Sunday Times with its claims that King Mswati III's fifth wife, Inkhosikati LaMagwaza, had had an affair with a South African man.

The reports came as the country celebrated the annual Reed Dance, its 35th independence anniversary and the king's birthday.

The paper was sold out and people were moving from shop to shop in search of it.

The report quotes claims by Soweto man Lizo Shabangu, 23, that he had an affair with LaMagwaza which she ended when he wanted her to elope with him.

The paper was sold out and people were moving from shop to shop in search of it
Shabangu was quoted as saying: "I spent a whole week and a half in her room... where we would wear nothing and we showered together... ate strawberries and yoghurt off each other."

He claimed, according to the paper, that they had sex six times a day.

A source at Mswati's Lozitha Palace, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Mswati had been briefed on the report and the pictures after a dinner to mark his 35th birthday.

"He became so upset and drove to Siteki with his bodyguard immediately after the banquet," the source said.

"Everything is out of his hands - the traditional authorities, mainly his elder brothers, are handling the matter."

Shabangu claims they had sex six times a day
The source said there were several options of possible punishment for the woman.

"The most obvious would be to send her away, ending the marriage to Mswati. Of course the children would be left behind as a sign of acknowledgement that they belong to royalty.

"The pictures do not lie, so the king will certainly not want anything to do with her," he added.

LaMagwaza, 30, denied the affair but the source claimed that the butterfly tattoo on her lower spine in one of the pictures in the newspaper was indeed her art signature.

"It appears on all her works," he said.

The Sunday Times quoted her as confirming that the photographs were of her. She was quoted as saying that Shabangu came to her looking for a scholarship.

"I took him in and we worked on art together."

On Sunday a former member of the Swazi parliament, Marwick Khumalo, a close confidante of the king, tore up a copy of the Times at a shopping mall and claimed the story was a fabrication.

Khumalo, a former journalist, attracted a lot of attention when he dismissed the pictures as being computer-generated.

Back at the palace, LaMagwaza's bodyguards was willing to say where she was and she was absent from the weekend's festivities.

Rumours about Mswati's wives being involved in extra-marital affairs have persisted in Swaziland. - Independent Foreign Service

 

[EtienneDuchessofBurgundy]

Swazi queen likely to face house arrest
September 10, 2003

The errant fifth wife of King Mswati III of Swaziland, suspected of adultery after revealing photographs were published in a South African newspaper, could face virtual house arrest if deemed guilty.

According to a source in royal family circles, Inkhosikati LaMagwaza could "either be sent out of the country or be kept inside the palaces under strong supervision".

In both cases she would be "set aside", which means the king would refuse to visit her palace and would withhold sexual favours from her.

In another development, LaMagwaza's brother, employed as one of the king's bodyguards, has been suspended from work. This is believed to be related to the infidelity of his sister.


The source says it would be the second time she has been "set aside". Two years ago there were rumours she had had an affair. The ban was lifted earlier this year.

The source says it is unlikely she would be sent out of the country. "The king would be wary of releasing her into the public because she already knows too much about
royalty. She could turn out to be a danger," says the source. - Special Correspondent, Independent Foreign Service

 

[EtienneDuchessofBurgundy]

The Soap Opera continues.....Cuckolded king in a right royal flap
September 9, 2003

By Sammy Were

Mbabane - Swaziland's King Mswati III, in a tizz at reports that one of his wives has taken a South African lover, stomped out of his own birthday party.

Hordes of policemen were sent scurrying to buy up copies of SA's Sunday Times, which carried allegations - and revealing photographs - of fifth wife Inkhosikati LaMagwaza (30).

Copies of the newspaper were sold out by midday.

The report quoted claims by Soweto man Lizo Shabangu (23) that he had an affair with her, which she ended after he wanted her to elope with him.

Shabangu was quoted as saying: "I spent a whole week-and-a-half in her room ... where we would wear nothing, and we showered together ... ate strawberries and yoghurt off each other."


He claimed that they had sex six times a day.

A source at Mswati's Lozitha Palace said the king had been briefed on the report and the pictures after a dinner to mark his 35th birthday at the Royal Swazi Sun hotel. "He become upset and drove home with his bodyguard."

"The traditional authorities, mainly made up of his elder brothers, are handling the matter," the source said. "The pictures do not lie, so the king will certainly not want anything to do with her."

LaMagwaza has denied having an affair. - Independent Foreign Service

 

[Princess_Elizaveta]

Swazi Royalty

The Kingdom of Swaziland is located between South Africa and Mozambique. It was a British territory at the beginning of the 20th century. The king, Sobhuza II, was a minor, so his grandmother, Queen Labotsibeni Gwamile Ndluli, acted as regent until 1921. She rallied the Swazi people to begin buying back their lands from foreigners.

In the 1960s Sobhuza founded the the Imbokodvo National Movement, which worked for Swazi independence. That goal was achieved in 1968. In the '70s Swaziland adopted a constitution which banned political parties and gave the king supreme power.

King Sobhuza II died in 1982. His wife Dzeliwe Shongwe ruled as regent for a year, then was replaced by another of Sobhuza's widows, Ntombi Latfwala. Her son Makhosetive became King Mswati III in 1986. The king and his mother, whose title is Ndlovukazi (Great She-Elephant), rule jointly.

 

[EtienneDuchessofBurgundy]

Swaziland's Reed Dance at Odds with Democratization Process, Women's RightsChalliss McDonough
Ludzidzini, Swaziland
12 Sep 2003, 21:54 UTC

Challiss McDonough in Ludzidzini's Swaziland (RealAudio)
McDonough report - Download 848k (RealAudio)


AP
Young Swazi maidens react after a hail storm halted the last day of the ceremony
Last week in Swaziland, young women paraded before the king in the annual Reed Dance, wondering if he would choose one of them to be his next wife. But many of the girls did not want to be there. The annual event has focused attention on political reform efforts in Swaziland. VOA Correspondent Challiss McDonough attended the ceremony at the royal residence in central Swaziland's Ezulwini Valley, and has this report.

Thirty teenage girls from one village are singing traditional songs on their way to Swaziland's annual Reed Dance at the Ludzidzini royal residence. They travel in a group, led by two stick-wielding men chosen by their village chief to watch over them.

The Reed Dance is one of the most spectacular and well-known of Swaziland's cultural traditions. Every year, thousands of young women dance bare-breasted before the royal family at the end of a week-long ritual. One of the women, Zihla Bembe likes participating in the dance because, as she sees it, it is part of being a Swazi girl. "Because it's our Swazi culture, and we are proud of it," she said.

Officially, the ceremony is in honor of the king's mother. The girls cut and deliver reeds to her royal residence in order to symbolically re-build part of it after a long winter.


AP
A Swazi maiden protects herself from the cold weather
But the Reed Dance has also become known for another, more recently-developed tradition. Like his father before him, Swaziland's absolute monarch, King Mswati, has taken to choosing a new wife or two from among the young women. Swazi kings can have as many wives as they want. So far, King Mswati has 12.

The event sparked a major controversy last year, when the mother of his 10th wife filed a lawsuit in hopes of getting her daughter back after the king picked her out at the Reed Dance. It did not work, and the mother reluctantly dropped the case.

Critics of the tradition say an increasing number of girls, especially from the cities, are refusing to take part in the Reed Dance because they do not want to run the risk of becoming a queen. And some of the girls who do take part are desperately hoping the king will not notice them.

Seventeen-year-old Nobahle Sihlongonyane enjoys the Reed Dance, she says, because it is a colorful ceremony and she likes the traditional woolen tassels and beads that the girls wear.

"I've got three sisters who have attended the ceremony. And unfortunately for them, they are nowhere to be found now! They cannot come back anymore because they have given birth. So I am the only one who is able to attend the ceremony," she said.


When asked whether she thinks the king will pick her as his next fiancee, Miss Sihlangonyane demurely says she doubts she has the qualities the king is looking for. "He's looking for a tall girl. She must be tall, slender, with that body! And of course you must be beautiful," she said. Would you be happy if you were chosen? She won't because, she adds, "I don't like polygamy. I hate polygamy."

Many of the other urban girls who took part in the Reed Dance have similar views. They must have given a huge sigh of relief when this year's dance was interrupted by a freak hailstorm. Just as the king was about to walk down the red carpet into the crowd of dancers to start examining them a little more closely, the heavens opened up and hailstones the size of almonds pelted the crowd. Ten-thousand girls made a break for it, stampeding through the stands, shoving aside diplomats and tourists. Within minutes, the field was empty.

It is not clear how much longer the king will retain his right to choose whoever he wants as a wife. Swaziland is in the midst of a slow process of democratization, under pressure from the international community. The king recently presented a draft of a proposed new constitution, which includes many new rights for women.

Women's rights activist Zakhe Hlanze of the Swazi branch of Women and Law in Southern Africa says the draft constitution would guarantee women the right to choose what cultural traditions to take part in, including whether or not to enter into a polygamous marriage.

"We feel that this is a progressive provision, and we feel that women will be able to choose whether to undergo certain customs or not," she explains. "And we feel that this provision in the constitution will actually help in changing the status of women."

But Ms. Hlanze says she remains concerned about the way the proposed constitution handles the delicate balancing act between law and tradition.

"I'm saying that it is encouraging, but I know that there are problems," she explains. "Because in the same constitution, you find that customs and traditions actually seem to be taking a superiority, they seem to be superior even to the constitution. So if it is like that, we may have problems when women try to actually access these rights that are in this particular draft."

Former Swazi Prime minister and current opposition leader Obed Dlamini believes change is inevitable because the people will demand it. He says the king will have to give up some of his absolute powers.

"All that we need as Swazis, without shedding at the expense of the nation our culture, is to ensure that democracy exists, and that culture should not supersede democracy," he said. "This is our demand. I cannot foresee Swaziland sustaining the status quo without making serious advances towards introducing a typical democratic dispensation. I just cannot see that."

Back at the Reed Dance, some of the participants were taking a more traditional attitude. Sixteen-year-old Lungile Shongwe says she would love to get the king's attention and possibly become the next Liphovela, or royal fiancee.

"Because I enjoy the life there, I think it would be nice, just sitting there relaxing, getting everything you want without working for it," she said. " And visiting overseas! Ooohh! With the airplane!"

Even though King Mswati did not have a chance to pick a new bride at the Reed Dance this year, the teenage Ms. Shongwe has a few more years to try to catch his eye. Constitutional changes are not likely to do away with the Reed Dance entirely, and unmarried young women with no children can take part in it every year until they are 21 or 22.

In the meantime, the Associated Press is reporting that the king has just taken his 12th wife - a runner-up in the Miss Swaziland beauty contest. At the time of the pageant, she told a local magazine that she does not believe in polygamy. But under Swazi law, if the king chooses her, she can not refuse.

 

[EtienneDuchessofBurgundy]

The Queen and I (an updated article)

Joburg man's tale of 'mind-blowing sex' with king's wife has Swazis in a tizz
Lesley Mofokeng (The Sunday times)

Royal upset: King Mswati III,

and Queen LaMagwaza in traditional dress at a function. It is rumoured that LaMagwaza has previously had an affair and been 'set aside'

Queen of hearts: Inkhosikati LaMagwaza has denied having had an affair with Lizo Shabangu, saying he was merely a 'close friend and confidant' who helped her with her art.

'We had to make the most of the small massage bed. We got creative . . .'

Steamy: LaMagwaza with Shabangu during what he claims was one of many romantic interludes the couple shared at the Ezulweni Sun. Shabangu has claimed that he and the queen had sex for the first time in the hotel's spa

Related links
- The article: The Queen and I (an updated version)

Swaziland was this week abuzz after the Sunday Times revealed a South African man's claim that he had had a steamy year-long affair with a Swazi queen.

Lizo Shabangu, 23, of Soweto, said in an exclusive interview with the Sunday Times published last week that he was the secret toy-boy lover of 30-year-old Inkhosikati LaMagwaza, the fifth wife of King Mswati III, between February last year and January.


Shabangu told of a romantic getaway at a Johannesburg casino last year: "I spent a whole week and a half in her room . . . where we would wear nothing. We showered together, spent time in the Jacuzzi, ate strawberries and yoghurt off each other and had wine. It was like our honeymoon. We had sex about six times a day on average. "


The affair ended when the queen refused to elope with him, Shabangu claimed.


But LaMagwaza last week strenuously denied the affair, branding Shabangu a "liar" and a "blackmailer". She admitted, however, that she had considered him her "confidant" and "best friend". She said she ended the relationship when he "wanted me to run away with him".


"I accepted what he told me because that's what I wanted to hear," she said. "If somebody tells you nice words, your heart melts . . . But I did not have a strong [enough] relationship with him that I would elope . . . Being a member of the royal family I can't just elope. There's always a legality.


"My kids are the first priority. I can't leave them. I don't have an education and I want them to be better off."


LaMagwaza confirmed that graphic photographs Shabangu presented to the Sunday Times as evidence of the affair were of her. Among these were photos of her topless and in a black-and-white camisole on a bed, as well as one of her bare buttocks.


Said LaMagwaza: "We didn't have a relationship. I don't know what he means . . . He was my confidant and he knows a lot about me and my personal life. He can use that against me. I'm shocked. I took him in and we worked on art together . . . It's a big lie that we had a sexual relationship."


This week, the Sunday Times was inundated with calls from angry Swazis who said the article was an "insult to the Swazi nation".


A South African daily newspaper also reported that the Swazi king had stomped out of his own birthday party in a tizz over the allegations. On Sunday, policemen were sent to buy up copies of the Sunday Times, which were sold out by midday in the country.


An investigation had reportedly been launched into the claims.


The newspaper later claimed LaMagwaza would be "set aside" by the king if the claims proved true, meaning Mswati would refuse to visit her palace and withhold sexual favours.


It also reported that LaMagwaza's brother, who was employed as one of the king's bodyguards, had been suspended from work with no reason given.


The paper quoted sources as saying it was the second time LaMagwaza had been "set aside". Two years ago, there were rumours that she had had an affair. She has not accompanied the king on overseas trips in the past three years and the ban was not lifted until earlier this year.


Mavis Litchfield, Mswati's secretary, could not be contacted for comment this week.


Shabangu, an information processor at a Johannesburg bank, told the Sunday Times he had pursued the queen after seeing her picture in a newspaper in June 2001.


"I was struck by her beauty . I was determined to meet her one day, to get to know her and befriend her," he said.


It took him six months to get LaMagwaza's contact details. He first sent her an SMS in January 2002, saying he was "her fan and I liked her a lot".


" She called to say that she had received my SMS and would like to meet me," he said. Later, they would speak on the phone for hours a day, "talking about us and declaring our love for each other ".


In May, they finally met at the queen's hairdresser in Mbabane .


" The meeting had to be strategically planned to make sure the guards did not become suspicious, so we met where she does her hair. She said: 'I didn't know you were so good-looking.' She was surprised and excited."


Shabangu said they had sex a few weeks later. "We came up with a plan to meet at a secret place, the spa at the Ezulwini Sun. I went in first, changed and stayed in the steam room. She would then get a lady from the massage room to call me into her massage room.


"She was good and we both enjoyed our sexual encounters . . . She'd suggest positions as we had to make the most of the small massage bed. We got creative . . ."


Shabangu said they also met at Lozitha Palace, which LaMagwaza shared with two other Swazi queens. At one point LaMagwaza had told him she was "limiting her encounters with the king" because "I was jealous".


"At some point I thought I was obsessed," he said. "She called me her knight in shining armour.


"The sex was mind-blowing. "


Shabangu said they also spent 10 days together at a Johannesburg casino last October. To give her bodyguards the slip, he climbed over the balcony to her suite.


"She greeted me with open arms, locked the door and we went for the bed. We tore off each other's clothes. She longed for attention and true love because she couldn't be touched by other people. She never got love and I gave her 110% love and attention.


"She loved me because she said I was kind and listened to her; made time for her. She'd call at 2am and I would wake up and listen to whatever she wanted to say."


Shabangu said LaMagwaza had been desperately unhappy and that "she'd cry because her life was terrible and they [the Swazi queens] were treated like kids".


They had arranged to run away together but instead LaMagwaza ended their affair without warning in January. "When I asked her about all the plans we had made, all she could say was: 'I guess I was in love then. You have to figure things out yourself.' "


He begged her to change her mind, but she told him to "stop nagging and being a nuisance".


"If humans could explode, I would have. She was so mean to me. She got what she wanted - the love, attention and sex. I understand her mother spoke to her . . . She blamed her life and our affair on not praying."


LaMagwaza confirmed Shabangu had initiated the contact with her, but said: "He came to me looking for a scholarship and then he became my best friend and confidant. I took him up as a friend and we worked together on art, decorating here and there."


She said Shabangu had provided her with a shoulder to cry on.


"The king has many wives and cannot be there for all of us. I didn't know he [Shabangu] was taking notes. I'm shocked. I poured my heart out to him because I had no one to talk to . . .


"I can't call my mother whenever I have problems. I have to be strong for her and my sister."


But she denied they were more than friends, saying Shabangu had "ulterior motives" and wanted to "blackmail" her.


LaMagwaza also denied Shabangu had joined her at the Johannesburg casino: "I have bodyguards, maids and cleaners 24/7. It's a lie that he climbed over the balcony to come into my room. I was with my children and they were playing everywhere. He wanted me to run away with him. Things didn't go as planned, but it's not like I've cheated him out of anything."



LaMagwaza's cover design for a gospel CD has won her an award in Swaziland. She is due to write her matric exams in Nelspruit next month.

 

[kinneret5764]

Another article. Obviusly they never taught him about the French, Soviet or Iranian Revolution while he was at Eton:

Protesters rally against Swazi king
By David Blair
Manzini
January 28, 2005

Elliot Mkhatshwa negotiates with Swazi police before a protest march.
Photo: AFP



After banning sex and spending millions on palaces for beauty queen wives, Africa's last absolute monarch, King Mswati III, faced rare popular protestwhen Swaziland's underground opposition called a general strike.

Chanting demonstrators marched through Swaziland's largest city, Manzini, on Wednesday demanding curbs on the financial extravagance and political power of their fiercely quixotic ruler.

Their banners expressed outrage at the king's lavish self-indulgence. "No to more palaces, cars and parties," read one. Last year, the king spent $A20 million on building eight palaces and refurbishing three existing ones.

He bought a state-of-the-art Maybach car for $630,000 and invited 10,000 to his 36th birthday party, spending $800,000 on the festivities.

Swaziland is a country that could spring from the pages of Evelyn Waugh. Like the Emperor Seth in Black Mischief, King Mswati is a British-educated despot with scant regard for the desperate poverty of his people.

King Mswati is now enjoying three months in "Incwala", or seclusion, for the annual "fresh-fruit eating" ceremony. He attends this festival with his powerful mother, whose official title "Ndlovukazi", translates as "The Great She Elephant".

The catalyst for the protests in the midst of his seclusion was the release of a draft constitution guaranteeing his eternal dominance. This long-awaited document had been viewed as a chance for a gradual move towards a constitutional monarchy.

Instead, the draft gives the king legal immunity from any wrongdoing and article 65 states emphatically: "The executive authority of Swaziland vests in the king."

"This draft constitution would make the king the worst kind of dictator," said Jan Sithole, secretary-general of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions, who called the general strike. "There is no restraint on the king and no democracy at all."

Opposition parties are banned and more than 70 per cent of Swaziland's 1 million people live in poverty in remote villages. Apathy rules even in the towns. Mr Sithole estimated that fewer than 10 per cent of his 65,000 members joined the strike.

But any demonstration of popular discontent is an important achievement in a country as repressive as Swaziland. For most of his 18-year rule, King Mswati's excesses have gone without protest.

Almost every year, he chooses a new wife at the "Reed Dance" ceremony when 20,000 topless virgins dance for him.

Last year, 12 local beauty queens joined the performance and the king selected Miss Teen Swaziland, 16-year-old Nothando Dube, as his new fiancee.

The king has now amassed 11 wives, two fiancees and 23 children, although two wives have fled to South Africa.

Some 39 per cent of adult Swazis are infected with HIV or AIDS - the highest proportion in the world. King Mswati responded to the crisis in 2001 by banning virgins from having sex for five years. Any man caught deflowering a virgin would be fined one cow.

This law proved too rigorous for the king. Months later, he chose a 17-year old bride and fined himself one cow.

A Government spokesman said the king's approach to monarchy is "in accordance with Swazi tradition".

- Telegraph

 

[Amira]

Swazi King Mswati III has picked a 17-year-old schoolgirl as his new fiancee who will be introduced to the public as his 13th bride-to-be once she passes a HIV test...

Less than five months after picking 16-year-old Nothando Dube as his 12th bride-to-be, the 36-year-old Mswati has now chosen Colile Nosiphe Magagula, known as Titi, as his next fiancee.



She will be "unveiled" once she passes an HIV test and once she gets royal blessings from the Queen Mother Ntombi Thwala of Swaziland, where close to 40 percent of the population is living with HIV and AIDS ...The "unveiling" means that she will be officially introduced to the public as his fiancee. "There is a lady that is currently undergoing certain rituals that include an HIV test and if she passes that test she would be unveiled."



Swaziland has the world's highest per capita rate of HIV infection at 38.8 percent in the kingdom of 1.1 million people, according to UN estimates.

Mswati has 11 official wives and two fiancees, including Magagula, and 24 children. The king is apparently trying to fill vacancies left by two of his wives who left Swaziland in June this year after falling out of favour with the royal household.

Rumours in royal circles say that Dube, who was picked as his fiancee at the end August last year, has since fallen pregnant and that the king will soon marry her.



Magagula would have written her senior exams at the end of the year but has now left school to join the royal house.

Mswati, a polygamist who is know as "Ngweyama" or the lion, has ruled the mountainous kingdom wedged between South Africa and Mozambique since 1986, when he acceded to the throne at the age of 18.



Rumours in royal circles say that Dube, who was picked as his fiancee at the end August last year, has since fallen pregnant and that the king will soon marry her.



Magagula would have written her senior exams at the end of the year but has now left school to join the royal house.

Mswati, a polygamist who is know as "Ngweyama" or the lion, has ruled the mountainous kingdom wedged between South Africa and Mozambique since 1986, when he acceded to the throne at the age of 18. His father King Sobhuza II led the country to independence from Britain in 1968, and died at the age of 82 in 1982 with no fewer than 70 wives.

 

[Amira]

Swaziland facing social changes: Mswati

April 19, 2005, 16:15
King Mswati II of Swaziland says the drafting of the country's constitution process has proven that the nation upholds the monarchy. Speaking at his 37th birthday celebrations at the Manzini Stadium today, Mswati admitted that the country is facing social challenges, poverty and the HIV and Aids pandemic.

Swazis came in their thousands to be the king's guests. This despite criticism by civil groupings and other international observers that the king is not putting his country's interests first. They claim thousands of citizens survive on food aid and international donors.

In attendance were kings and dignitaries from various countries in Africa. In his address, Mswati said his policy is to rule his country through consultation with all stakeholders. The country is in a process of establishing a fund to eliminate poverty, he added.

The king also encouraged the nation to continue adhering to their culture and tradition as it has been before and after the country's independence in 1968. He, nonetheless, did not indicate as to when the new constitution will be adopted.

 

[rchainho]

Swazi king weds 18-year-old as 12th wife Monday, 13 June 2005

Swaziland's King Mswati III took an 18-year-old former Miss Teen Swaziland finalist as his 12th wife at the weekend, barely two weeks after marrying his 11th, media in the tiny African kingdom said.

In 1973 Mswati's father Sobhuza, whose authorised biography says he had 45 official wives, tore up the constitution of the former British protectorate, sandwiched between South Africa and Mozambique. Mswati's officials are drafting a new constitution, which is set to uphold the ban on political parties.
Mon June 13, 2005
MBABANE (Reuters)

 

[Lady Jennifer]

Swazi King marries wife #12

Here is an article from CNN:
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/africa/06/13/swazi.wives.reut/index.html
Swazi king waits two weeks for wife No. 12

Monday, June 13, 2005 Posted: 1450 GMT (2250 HKT)
MBABANE, Swaziland (Reuters) -- Swaziland's King Mswati III took an 18-year-old former Miss Teen Swaziland finalist as his 12th wife during the weekend, barely two weeks after marrying his 11th, media in the tiny African kingdom said.

 

[semisquare]

can he afford another wife? just think about the amount of children he will have over his lifetime. goodness, how does he pick an heir to his throne?

 

[Lady Jennifer]

can he afford another wife? just think about the amount of children he will have over his lifetime. goodness, how does he pick an heir to his throne?

Doesn't he have like 25 kids already?

 

[Alisa]

http://allafrica.com/stories/200508160559.html
King Mswati III Calls for More Financial Support From Partners

August 16, 2005 Maputo
The King of Swaziland, Mswati III, said in Maputo on Monday that his country is facing the same challenges as Mozambique in terms of development, hence the need for cooperation partners to grant more financial resources to tackle these obstacles.

Someone should suggest that His Majesty thinks about his country's development the next time he spends hundreds of thousands of dollars on a meaningless self-indulgent item.

 

[rchainho]

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/breaki...ziland_King.php
Modern princess's antics cause scandal during Swazi bride-choosing ritual
THULANI MTHETHWA MBABANE, Swaziland - The Swazi king's daughter has long raised eyebrows with her Western-style clothes. Now her decision to hold a drinking party to celebrate the end of a chastity decree has shocked members of Africa's last absolute monarchy - and resulted in a beating.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_...54306744C488181
Teen princess deserved beating - Swazi royal

http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/special4...830094609990001
Swaziland King Spanks Princess Over Bash
By THULANI MTHETHWA, AP

APPrincess Sikhanyiso's party got her in trouble with her father, Swazi King Mswati III. MBABANE, Swaziland (Aug. 30) - A drinking and dancing celebration by the king's daughter shocked a Swazi traditionalist enough for him to deliver a spanking to the teenage princess, and cast a pall over Swaziland's annual royal bride-choosing rites.​

​

http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/royal_family/88452004.htm​

King of Swaziland looks for his 13th wife
August 30, 2005, 2:44:07 The King of Swaziland enjoyed a parade of 50,000 topless virgins yesterday (29.08.05) all vying to become his new queen.
The legion of semi-clad girls performed a selection of tribal dances outside the royal kraal of King Mswati III - who has 12 wives, one fiancé and 27 children - in a bid to win the affection of the controversial monarch and become his 13th wife.

http://www.sabcnews.com/africa/sout...,111269,00.html
Thousands of Swazi maidens to dance for king

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/mai...30/ixworld.html
Swazi king has his pick of 50,000 virgins

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_...12533570286B226
I beat princess out of anger, says official

http://news.scotsman.com/internatio...m?id=1857612005
Princess whipped at party

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4165432.stm
Swazi king drops sex-ban tassels

The ban was very unpopular with young Swazis
Swaziland's King Mswati III has ended a five-year sex ban he imposed on the kingdom's teenage girls a year early. The girls have had to wear large woollen tassels as a sign of their chastity since 2001.

http://www.theshorthorn.com/archive...n082605-01.html
Ugandan queen to grace campus
The Africa Program helped arrange for the queen to speak and visit.Queen Sylvia Nagginda Luswata of Buganda, the largest kingdom in Uganda, will visit campus today to attend a luncheon and visit the Smart Hospital.
By Elyse Malanowski Contributor to The Shorthorn
Musicians, motivational speakers and comedians are among a few guests who have come to visit UTA in the past. But today, students will be able to say that the Queen of Buganda, the largest kingdom in Uganda, stopped by for a visit.

 

[IslandDweller]

The latest debacle involving Swaziland's king. I don't think any comment is necessary . Talk about power misapplied.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/africa/08/28/swazi.princess.reut/index.html

 

[LaPlusBelle]

So who is his main wife, as in who does he bring along for state functions?
And how many children does he have?

 

[HRH Kerry]

I haven't found anything new since this article is from 9/25/2005.

Africa's last absolute monarch, Swaziland's King Mswati III, has picked his 13th wife, a palace spokesperson said Sunday...
http://www.zimobserver.com/newsdetail.asp?article_id=1331

I will marry you once you're pregnant. Totally trifling!

 

[Vanesa]

Well...What can we said? Those articles comments themselves. We needn't to do further comments on them.

Vanesa.

 

[Toledo]

Swazi king opens up to opposition

 

[Toledo]

Swaziland: King speaks - says democracy too expensive
Mbabane, April 26, 2006
In a rare interview, sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch King Mswati of Swaziland said this week his country is not ready for political parties and criticised foreign governments for meddling in its internal affairs...

...Pro-democracy political groups, meanwhile, have not been able to operate since the promulgation of the new constitution. Police blocked a rally of the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) in Manzini last month. The Women's League of the Ngwane National Liberatory Congress (NNLC) was turned down by government officials when they attempted to register as an organisation.

 

[Toledo]

Swaziland: Beyond Royal Rule And Naked Reed Dances

ANALYSIS
April 28, 2006
Posted to the web April 27, 2006

On Monday, Swaziland's iron-fisted king threw himself another grand birthday party, and celebrated 20 years of his rule - although he was born on April 19.Unimpressed multi-party activists continue to light fire under the throne of King Mswati III - well-known for his fleet of luxurious cars, lavish spending, and his 13 wives, picked in the thrill of the annual Reed Dance (Umhlanga).

...The present monarchy therefore combines the worst excesses of colonial authoritarian government, with a thin veneer of traditional customs.Mswati's father, Sobhuza II, failed to sway the British to grant Swaziland independence on the basis of a purely monarchical system. So at independence in September 1968, the king caved in and agreed to a constitutional monarchy based on a parliamentary democracy with a prime minister and multi-party politics...

 

[Toledo]

Swaziland: A leisurely pace in tackling corruption

...In the mid-1990s, a series of high-profile corruption scandals, with no action taken against the perpetrators, prompted a public outcry that resulted in government establishing the Anti-Corruption Unit. However, a decade after it was set up, the unit had not brought a single culprit to book. Officials said they were hamstrung by a lack of legislation empowering them to undertake investigations and make arrests.

During the intervening decade, the economy has deteriorated, making the impact of corruption even more damaging. Two-thirds of Swaziland's one million people live below the poverty line, according to the United Nations Development Programme...

 

[Toledo]

News from the Kingdom of Swaziland:
His Majesty forms Chiefs Council
By Phinda Zwane

Quote from the above article
“...It is important that once a candidate has been identified, the name be brought forward for royal blessing. We have observed that the delay in so doing is detrimental to development. Those in charge out there should expedite the process of bringing the names forward.” The King said...

'Cabinet, MPs want to topple King'
from The Swazi Observer News

Quote from the above article
...This rather shocking statement was made yesterday by Ka-Ndwandwa Chief Magudvulela in the Hhohho region. “Your Majesty there are hiccups in the constitution. It is open to huge abuse. We have noted that some cabinet ministers and MPs are plotting to topple the King through this constitution. This is therefore a serious cause for concern to us as chiefs,” he said...

 

[Toledo]

Swaziland: Pro-democracy groups challenge executive monarchy in court
September 21, 2006

two quotes from the article:

"...The government is refusing to bow to a demand by the National Constituency Assembly (NCA), an umbrella organisation of pro-democracy advocates, that it release submissions made between 1996 and 2001 as part of the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) process...

...Constitution making is inherently political. It is not an administrative act and, hence, it is not susceptible to review," said the government's opposing affidavit. It went on to say that the process was by royal decree, which mandated that all records remain sealed and therefore unavailable to the public..."