King Mswati 3 is a polygamous monarch with at least 15 wives, each of whom requires a fleet of surprisingly opulent vehicles
One African monarchy that urgently needs to modernise is that of eSwatini. King Mswati III, is the absolute ruler of the kingdom — formerly known as Swaziland. The king recently bought at least 15 Rolls-Royces and dozens of BMWs which were paid for by his country’s 1.3 million mostly impoverished people. This is raising eyebrows.
The king with one of his wives
Students staged protests last week when the Rolls-Royces were delivered. They were angry that their allowances for textbooks and school supplies have been unpaid for months. Similar protests were held last month by civil servants.
The People’s United Democratic Party (Pudemo), the main opposition party, described the king's spending as a “blatant display of arrogance” and an affront to the country’s poor, which the World Bank says accounts for half the population.
It appears that former colonial powers are compounding the problem. Rather than give AID to this king, the ex-colonialists should help him with knowhow so that his people and the country can be developed.
There is absolutely nothing wrong in having a monarchy as long as it is kept relevant and is always modernising.
Hopefully, king Mswati will not wait until his people start planning how to chase him out of his palace before he starts making the necessary changes. A word is enough for the wise.
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