Recent Appearances...

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Recent Appearances...

Africa Subsaharan

SADC Fails the People of eSwatini

2021-08-23

eSwatini is just Swaziland with a bad dye job, hoping the new haircut will help her find a swell sugar daddy.

[All Africa] The regional body has essentially ignored the plight of the emaSwati who continue to suffer under the brutal reign of King Mswati III, activists say."This is a regional problem. We have no confidence in any of the African organizations that should be taking a lead in this particular matter. They are turning a blind eye ... so we are certainly not happy [with the lack of solidarity]. This is why we are looking at different avenues."

So says Qhawekazi Khumalo, 37, spokesperson of the United eSwatini Diaspora, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that advocates for democratic governance and human rights
...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty...
in the country. Khumalo, who is a member of the South African chapter of the Swazi Lives Matter global solidarity movement, says the United Nations
...where theory meets practice and practice loses...
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) must execute its mandate to protect human rights by taking decisive action against violations taking place in eSwatini.

Speaking at an eSwatini solidarity march to the UNHCR's regional office in Pretoria on 13 August, Khumalo said: "No matter how small [eSwatini] is, we are all part of the human family and surely we deserve the same freedom that everybody enjoys."

At a Southern African Development Community (SADC) troika summit of the organ on politics, defence and security cooperation that was held in Lilongwe, Malawi, on 16 August, President Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana only afforded two paragraphs to the situation unfolding in eSwatini. He simply said the ministerial and technical fact-finding mission sent on 4 July and again from 15 to 22 July had completed its assignment and the report had been shared with King Mswati III for consideration.

The fact-finding mission, which purported to speak to all "stakeholders", ignored eSwatini's banned main opposition party, the People's United Democratic Movement (Pudemo).

Lamenting the lack of time, resources, effort and depth of the mission's efforts, Khumalo said: "If you are not able to consolidate everybody who speaks on this system and speaks on change, then what's the point?"

A BOYS' CLUB
Pudemo president Mlungisi Makhanya says the movement has been disappointed by the indifference of the governments in the region as well as SADC.

"What SADC has shown is that it has no interest in the citizens of the region. It is only a boys' club where the leaders, not the people, are what matters. When they approached the issue of Swaziland, what was foremost on their minds was how to serve Mswati and his murderous regime. They have no interest in the killed people of Swaziland, the multitude of people who continue to lie in hospitals and those who continue to languish in Mswati's jails. Their interest is regional stability at the expense of the human rights of the people of the region," he said.

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa), which was present at the march along with shack dwellers' movement Abahlali baseMjondolo and the South African Federation of Trade Unions, called on progressive organizations to support eSwatini's citizens to achieve their demands in the face of King Mswati's brutally ~~violent~~ mostly peaceful regime.

Link

-Short Attention Span Theater-

US Marine quick reaction force deployed twice in last 30 days to defend embassies

2021-08-01

[FoxNews] The US Marine Security Augmentation Unit has completed 107 deployments

The U.S. Marine Security Augmentation Unit has deployed twice in the past 30 days to support and protect embassies in Africa and the Caribbean.

The quick reaction force consists of 145 Marines who can deploy in small teams at a moment’s notice from Quantico, Virginia to anywhere in the world – including a small African nation like Eswatini.

The Kingdom of Eswatini was called the Kingdom of Swaziland until 2018. Nothing else has changed — the population is still 80-90% Christian, 26% HIV positive, the elected legislature is bicameral, and the absolute monarch still picks the prettiest maiden each year to add to his collection of wives, assuming his mother approves.

A team of 13 Marines deployed to Eswatini on June 30 as thousands of protesters took to the streets to decry their King Mswati III, who lives in luxury as his citizens starve.

Another team saw deployment on July 16 in the aftermath of the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse to support the U.S. Embassy "out of an abundance of caution."

These two missions marked the 106th and 107th missions for the MSAU since the group was founded in 2013, Task and Purpose reported.

The MSAU was founded in the aftermath of the 2012 attack on Benghazi, which left a U.S. Ambassador and three other Americans dead. The members bring a variety of occupational experience and specialties, including medical, close quarters combat, marksmanship, security analysis and augmentation, creating one of the most experienced and elite security details on the planet.

The corps mainly deploys via air, but also includes sea-based units and land-based Special Purpose Air-Ground task forces.

The MSAU also deployed on such notable occasions as the Bangkok protests in 2013-14 and the Yellow Vest protests in Paris in 2017.

One of the largest MSAU deployments saw 80 Marines deployed to Tripoli to help evacuate the U.S. embassy, the Marine Corps Times reported.

"Our Marine Security Guard Augmentation Units maintain a high state of readiness and can rapidly respond when called upon," said U.S. Central Command spokesman Maj. Josh Jacques said.

Link

Africa Subsaharan

King Eats Off Gold, Children Starving

2018-06-09

[SWAZIMEDIA.BLOGSPOT] In the week that King Mswati III the absolute monarch of Swaziland / Eswatini received dining room and lounge furniture made of gold as birthday gifts it is reported that children collapsed with hunger in their school because the government had not paid for food for them.

The kingdom had previously been warned to expect children to starve because the Swazi Government had not paid its suppliers for the food that is distributed free of charge at schools. The shortage is reported to be widespread across the kingdom.

The Times of Swaziland, reported on Thursday (7 June 2018) that at least eight children had collapsed through hunger at of KaKholwane Primary School.

It reported the school’s headteacher Smangele Mtsefwa, saying it was because of a lack of food at the school.

The Times reported, ’Yesterday morning, she said a Grade II pupil soiled herself after she experienced severe stomach cramps due to hunger, while others bled through their nostrils.’

The newspaper added, ’In most cases, she said pupils complained of hunger, adding that they had gone without a meal for two days.’

The Times reported, ’Mtsefwa said those in lower grades were more prone to falling ill, while pupils in the senior classes slept on their desks.’

’She said the school kitchen had been locked since the beginning of the term and they were not preparing any meals for the pupils.’

On Monday King Mswati received gifts of furniture made of gold and at lest E15 million (US$1.2 million) in cheques to mark his 50th birthday that fell on 19 April 2018. On that day he wore a watch worth US$1.6 million and a suit weighing 6 kg studded with diamonds. Days earlier he had taken delivery of his second private jet. This one, an Airbus A340, cost US$13.2 to purchase but with VIP upgrades was estimated to have cost US$30 million.

Meanwhile,
...back at the precinct house, Don Calamari's lawyer was getting even redder in the face...
seven in ten of the 1.1 million population live in abject poverty with incomes less than the equivalent of US$2 per day. The global charity Oxfam named Swaziland as the most unequal country in the world in a report that detailed the differences in countries between the top most earners and those at the bottom.

video of king choosing another virgin wife

Link

Africa Subsaharan

Swazi Royals Spend, Spend, Spend

2018-05-04

[All Africa] King Mswati the absolute monarch of impoverished Swaziland wore a watch worth US$1.6 million and a suit beaded with diamonds to his 50th birthday party.

Days earlier he had received delivery of his second private jet. This one, an A340-300 Airbus, reportedly cost as much as US$30 million after VIP upgrades.

These are examples of the King's lavish lifestyle. He has fleets of top-of-the-range BMW and Mercedes cars and he and his family travel the world in luxury.

Meanwhile,
...back at the Hubba Hubba Club, Big Shirley was still trying to snatch Nunzio bald-headed. She was already halfway there...
seven in ten of his 1.1 million subjects live in abject poverty with incomes less than the equivalent of US$2 per day.

Media in Swaziland, where political parties are banned, are heavily censored and do not report on the excesses of the King and his Royal family. Therefore, it is difficult to determine their full extent, but it has been possible to piece together some of the details.

In 2012 he acquired his first private jet, estimated to cost US$17 million. He refused to say who had paid for it, leading to speculation that the money came from public funds.

Often, the King abandons his private jet but still travels abroad in luxury. In May 2012 he went to London to attend a lunch to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. The trip was estimated to cost US$794,500. He took with him his first wife Inkhosikati LaMbikiza. She wore to the lunch shoes trimmed with jewels that cost £995 (US$1,559). It would take seven-out-of-ten Swazis at least three years to earn the price of the shoes.

The previous year he was in London with a party of 50 people for the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middlelton, staying at a US$1,000 per night hotel on a trip that was estimated to cost US$700,000 for the hire of a private jet to take the King and his party from Swaziland to the UK.

The extravagant spending came just as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) criticised Swaziland for diverting money that should have been used on education and health to other spending. As a result of this spending the IMF withdrew its team that was advising the government on economic recovery from Swaziland.

In 2012 Inkhosikati LaMotsa, the second of the King's wives, stayed at a Johannesburg hotel on a personal trip at a cost of US$60,000 a month.

The King has at least 13 wives and they regularly travel the world on lavish shopping trips. Details are kept from the Swazi people, but it is estimated that the trips take place several times a year.

In 2016 at least three of his wives went shopping in Orlando, Florida, with an entourage of more than 100, reportedly spending about US$1 million. The cost of this holiday was equivalent to the drought relief that the United States was then providing to the drought-stricken Kingdom.

Reports of the trip prompted Lisa Peterson, the then US ambassador to Swaziland, to warn the Kingdom might not receive further food aid from her country because of the Swazi King's 'lavish spending' on holidays.

News24 in South Africa reported Peterson saying the US had limited funds for drought relief. She said, 'When we hear of the lavish spending by the Swazi royal family - especially while a third of their citizens need food aid - it becomes difficult to encourage our government to make more emergency aid available. You can't expect international donors to give more money to the citizens of Swaziland than their own leaders give them.'

Link

Africa Subsaharan

Swaziland: King Wears Watch Worth U.S.$1.6-Million

2018-05-01

[All Africa] King Mswati III, the absolute monarch of impoverished Swaziland, wore a watch worth US$1.6 million to his 50th birthday party. This was in addition to a suit beaded with diamonds that weighed 6 kg.

Meanwhile,
...back at the wrecked scow, a single surviver held tightly to the smashed prow...
teachers are warning that children may starve because the Swazi Government cannot afford to pay to feed them. The charity Oxfam called Swaziland the most unequal country in the world in a report.

Days before his birthday King Mswati took delivery of his second private jet plane. This one, an A340-300 Airbus had a purchase price of US$13.2 million, but with VIP upgrades it reportedly cost about US$30 million.

A picture of the King with his watch and suit was published on Facebook by a group that monitors the spending of the Swazi Royal Family.

The watch is a Jacobs & Co Grand Baguette timepiece. The Jacobs & Co website describes the watch as, 'polished 18K white gold invisibly set with 360 baguette diamonds 13.20ct.; five crowns invisibly set with baguette diamonds 3.50ct.; five sapphire glasses with transparent anti-reflective treatment; circular satin-finished with hand engraving case back. Dial: Local time and four time zone dials for New York, L.A., Tokyo and Gay Paree.'

Link

Africa Subsaharan

Swaziland: Swazi King Wears Suit of Diamonds

2018-04-23

[All Africa] In the month that India donated US$1 million to help feed starving children in Swaziland, King Mswati III, the kingdom's absolute monarch, wore a suit of diamonds weighing 6 kg and received a cake with 52 layers at his birthday party attended by 700 guests.

A few days earlier he received his second private jet that after VIP upgrading might have cost US$30 million.

Meanwhile,
...back at the pond, Gloria slowly backed away from the eight-foot bull frog. If the creature croaked she would surely be deafened...
seven in ten of his 1.1 million subjects live in abject poverty with incomes less than US$2 per day and 640,000 of them in need of food.

The Observer on Saturday, a newspaper in Swaziland in effect owned by the King, reported (21 April 2018) the cake was 'fit for a King'.

It reported, 'The cake comprised of 52 layers and it was white and gold and part of the decoration on it was the silver number 50.' It had been baked by a South African company.

The Observer also reported the King wore a blue suit that weighed 6 kg (13 lbs) and took eight months to make.

'It was hand made and beaded with diamonds,' it reported.

The King threw a garden party for 700 guests, including the President of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen, and the Vice-President of Equatorial Guinea, Theodore Nguema Obiang Mangue, it added.

The King marked his birthday while more than one in three of his subjects were kept alive by international food aid. The World Food Program has reported 350,000 people are in need of emergency food assistance, with 640,000 potentially affected by some degree of food insecurity at the peak of the lean season.

Link

Africa Subsaharan

King Renames Swaziland As Eswatini

2018-04-21

[All Africa] Swaziland's King Mswati III said Thursday that he was officially changing the African kingdom's name to eSwatini.
Thereby showing he's hip and with it in the digital age.
Africa's last absolute monarch, King Mswati III announced the changes at celebrations marking 50 years of Swazi independence from Britannia and his 50th birthday.
Somebody else had already called dibs on "Wakanda."
"I would like to announce that from today onwards, our country will be known as the Kingdom of eSwatini," the king said at Golden Jubilee celebrations in the second city of Manzini .
Now they gotta change all the road signs, all the money, official documents... It'll give them something to do for the next few years.
eSwatini means "land of the Swazis" in the local Swati language.
"Swaziland," of course, means... ummm... something else.
Unlike some countries, the landlocked nation between South Africa and Mozambique did not change its name after winning independence from Britannia in 1968.
They'd have had to change all the road signs, and the money, and all the official documents...
"African countries on getting independence reverted to their ancient names before they were colonized. So from now on the country will be officially be known as the Kingdom of eSwatini," the king said.
But if "Swaziland" means the same thing as "eSwatine," why bother? I mean Cambodia decided to be Kampuchea, both of which are pronounced approximately the same, and look what happened. And then there's the matter of Dahomey. Nobody knows where it went.
He also said many people abroad confused the country with Switzerland

...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell...
."Harriet, are you sure this is Geneva? It don't look like the postcards."
"Stop worrying, Bob! Quick! Take my picture with the king! Woo! He goosed me!"
"Whoa! My wife! Goosed by the king of Switzerland!"
"Whenever we go abroad, people refer to us as Switzerland," the king said.
"They expect us to yodel!"
Known for his lavish lifestyle in a nation with crushing poverty and an HIV/AIDS rate of 27 percent, King Mswati III has ruled by decree over his 1.3 million people since taking over the throne from his father at the age of 18 in 1986.
Royal decree number 578: All left-handed people are required to move to the left hand side of the country. Any leftists living on the right side of the country will be executed, effective May 8th."
One of his father's more than 60 sons, King Mswati III has 15 wives and more than two dozen children.
"Hey, you! The comely young maiden! Yeah, you! You wanna be wife number 16?"

Link

Africa Subsaharan

Wife of Swazi King Mswati III Dies of Overdose, Report Says

2018-04-12

[All Africa] According to a report from City Press, King Mswati III's eighth wife, Senteni Masango, died after she allegedly overdosed on medication used to treat rheumatic conditions, depression and related disorders. According to The Citizen, Masongo suffered abuse after she was denied permission to attend her late sister's memorial service and funeral, and lived alone in a mansion without a visit from her husband. King Mswati III is opposed to divorce, having said in 2017: "In our culture, once you marry someone, ~~you're stuck with her~~ there is no turning back".

Link

Africa Subsaharan

Swaziland orders schools to teach only Christianity

2017-01-25

[Bangla Daily Star] Swaziland's schools opened for the new academic year yesterday under new government orders to teach only Christianity, a move criticised by opponents as fuelling intolerance of Moslems.

Officials said that old text books were being replaced with new ones that mention only the Bible, and that schools were required to submit a list of qualified religious studies teachers ahead of the start of term.

"Other religions will not be offered at primary and high school level," said Pat Muir, a top education ministry official, adding that the policy sought to avoid confusing pupils.

"At tertiary level they will be able to make a decision to learn about other religions," he said.

Some surveys put Swaziland's Moslem population as high as 10 percent, but the US Department of State in 2015 put the figure at about two percent.

Many Swazis combine Christianity with indigenous beliefs, and religious freedoms are written into the country's 2005 constitution.

The education ministry last week instructed all head teachers to ensure that the syllabus would not mention any religion other than Christianity, including Islam and Judaism.

Sahid Matsebula, a Swazi-born Moslem who works for a mosque near the capital Mbabane, said the government's policy could worsen religious friction in the southern African nation.

"What plan does the government have in place for our children who are not Christian?" he told AFP.

"They will be taught one thing at home and taught something else at school."

The US State Department's International Religious Freedom Report said some schools have long sought to prevent Moslem pupils from leaving early for Friday prayers.

It also said some Christian groups "discriminated against non-Christian religious groups, especially in rural areas where people generally held negative views on Islam."

The new education policy comes after public complaints over Asian and Moslem migration into the country led parliament to set up a commission of enquiry last year.

Some illegal ~~migrants~~ colonists have since been deported, and Minister of Commerce and Trade Jabulani Mabuza told parliament that a law making it harder for foreigners to set up businesses in Swaziland was in the pipeline.

Church leaders in Swaziland welcomed the Christianity-only syllabus.

"Christianity is the bedrock religion on which this country was built," said Stephen Masilela, president of the Swaziland Conference of Churches.

Swaziland, with a population of about 1.2 million, has been ruled by King Mswati III, Africa's last absolute monarch, since 1986.

The country suffers dire poverty and has struggled to lift its economy, and has faced international criticism that the government stifles dissent, jails its opponents and denies workers' rights.

Link

Africa Subsaharan

Southern Africa: Botswana Opposition Rejects King

2016-09-06

[All Africa] The main opposition political party in Botswana has rejected King Mswati III's appointment as Chair of SADC because of the restriction on democracy in Swaziland.

The King was appointed Chair at the Southern African Development Community Summit of Heads of State at the end of August 2016.

The Botswana National Front (BNF), which is seen as the senior partner in the opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change, said in a statement, 'Currently, there is no constitutional democracy in Swaziland. Political parties remain banned in that country. King Mswati and his Queen mother Ntombi have absolute authority over the judiciary, legislature and cabinet.'

The Weekend Post newspaper in Botswana reported BNF saying, 'several trade unionists, journalists and others have been harassed, tortured, beaten, arbitrarily incarcerated
You have the right to remain silent...
, imprisoned and some without trial and worse some killed under mysterious circumstances with no action being taken against the known security agents.'

Link

Africa Subsaharan

World’s longest-serving president just won a sixth term with 99% of the vote

2016-04-27

[WASHINGTONPOST] Teodoro Obiang Nguema has never received less than 97 percent of the vote in an election. On Monday, with partial results indicating that 99.2 percent of the vote has gone in his favor, Equatorial Guinea's leader was surely all set for another seven years in a seat that has no doubt molded to his figure.

One-sixth of African countries have an executive who has been in power for more than 20 years — that's nine out of 54. Obiang, who took power nearly 37 years ago in a bloody coup, is in the company of Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe (who turned 92 in February), Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea and King Mswati III of Swaziland. But Obiang is most similar to — and most closely followed in terms of the number of years in office by — José Eduardo dos Santos of Angola.

Dos Santos and Obiang preside over Africa's No. 2 and 3 crude-oil producers, respectively, and are accused of embezzling much of the resulting wealth, while not distributing it fairly, if at all, to their citizens. Equatorial Guinea, once a Spanish colony, has the biggest gap of any country worldwide between its per-capita wealth and its human development index — a sure sign that there are a few outliers skewing the per-capita figure way upward.

Obiang triumphed over six other candidates, winning all but 326 of the 40,926 votes counted, according to a government-run website.

Link

Africa Subsaharan

Swazi King to Wed 14th Wife

2013-09-18

[An Nahar] Swaziland's King Mswati III has chosen an 18-year-old beauty pageant contestant as his 14th wife, a palace front man said Tuesday, days before a much-criticized parliamentary vote.

"I can confirm that the king has introduced to the nation a new liphovela (royal fiancee)," said Ludzidzini palace governor Timothy Mtetwa.

Mswati, a 45-year-old who is sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch, introduced Sindiswa Dlamini at a Reed Dance celebration over the weekend, Mtetwa told AFP.

She wore reed feathers on her head -- a sign of royalty.

The young woman graduated from Mbabane's St. Francis High School last year and is a finalist in the Miss Cultural Heritage beauty pageant. The winner will be announced on September 28.

The king has come under fire for his household's lavish lifestyle while the tiny mountain kingdom's 1.2 million people struggle to make a living.

Mswati reportedly has a personal fortune of around $200 million (152 euros) and the U.N. estimates that 70 percent of his 1.2 million subjects live below the poverty line.

He has steadfastly resisted reforms.

The new engagement was announced at a festival which also counted regional delegates who will observe parliamentary elections on Friday.

Critics have slammed the polls as a sham, partly because political parties are banned and candidates are hand-picked by traditional leaders.

The weekend's celebrations were a smaller repeat of last month's official annual Reed Dance, where young virgins from across the kingdom gather and dance for the king.

"It just happened that the international community was there to witness the event," said Mtetwa.

The wedding only takes place once the fiancee falls pregnant. Dlamini will then become Mswati's 14th wife.

The monarch's colorful private life is off-limits in local media, but has drawn a lot of international interest.

Three wives left the household in recent years. The latest, Queen LaGija, fled the palace in 2012 claiming years of physical and emotional abuse.

Another queen, LaDube, was reportedly abused after she was caught in bed with the justice minister, a close friend of the king.

Mswati had kidnapped and married the queen when she was 16 in 2005.

Link

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