Democracy advocates in Swaziland are reporting that several
of King Mswati III’s 13 wives are going on a multi-million rand shopping trip
and vacation to the gambling capital of the world, Las Vegas in the United
States.
The Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) says three of the
wives will be accompanied by an entourage of 55 people. They are expected to
stay in 10 villas at the cost of R20,000 (US$2,400) per villa per night.
SSN reports that a private jet will be used to transport
the Royals. They are expected to arrive in Las Vegas on 4 August 2012.
Previously, SSN reported that the queens would also be
visiting Spain and the United Arab Emirates.
SSN said in a statement, ‘The total cost of this trip is
unknown. However, similar trips in the past have cost the [Swazi] taxpayer at
least R200 million as they will be travelling by a privately hired jet.’
The trip is not unusual. Every year a party of the king’s
wives go on a luxury shopping spree.
In 2010, a group of the king’s wives went on what was
described at the time as ‘another multi-million dollar international shopping
spree’ to Brussels in Belgium and London, UK.
About 80 other people went on the trip to tend to the
needs of the queens.
In August 2009, five of King Mswati’s wives went on a
shopping trip through Europe and the Middle East that cost an estimated US$6
million.
At the time media in Swaziland were warned not to report
on the trip because it would harm the king’s reputation. Media houses were told
they would face sanctions, including possible closure, if word got out. But
newspapers and websites across
the world followed the story.
The Times
of London, for example, reported how the queens went on a shopping spree
while the subjects of King Mswati, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarchy,
went hungry.
The Australian
newspaper said the king ignored the Swazi poor and the newspaper reminded
readers that Swaziland relied on international aid from the European Union and
the United States.
The previous year in August 2008 when a group of the
king’s wives went on a similar shopping spree ordinary Swazi women were so
outraged that they took
to the streets of Swaziland in protest.
King Mswati, rules as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute
monarch. Seven in ten people in Swaziland live in abject poverty earning less
than two US dollars a day.
No comments:
Post a Comment