The United States is to
provide US$6.35m in drought relief. That is just US$1m short of the US$7.3m the
Swazi Government is paying as a deposit this year for a private jet for King
Mswati III.
Swaziland declared a
national emergency in February 2016 and
called for international aid to
help feed 300,000 people affected by a prolonged drought.
In April 2016, the Swazi
Government agreed to
spend E96m (US$7.3m) on a deposit for
an Airbus A340-300 that will eventually cost E200m to buy. There are also expected
to be additional costs for upgrades to the interior.
King Mswati, who rules
Swaziland as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, already has a private
jet, but he considers it too small. The King is continually criticised outside
of Swaziland for his lavish spending. He has at least 13 palaces, a fleet of
top-of-the-range Mercedes and BMW cars and at least one Rolls Royce.
Meanwhile, this week it was
reported by Swaziland Ministry of Sports, Culture
and Youth Affairs that 756,000
out of 1.2 million Swazis currently live below the international poverty line
of US$1 or E13 a day.
The United States Agency
for International Development (USAID) will provide food, seeds, hay and potable
water to more than 50,000 people across four regions in Swaziland.
See also
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